Until we meet again Brian!

I've had the song "Star Spangled Banner" going through my head today. Particularly the last verse- "Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation! Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land, praise the pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!" Since my oldest brother, Nathan, joined the Air Force, that song held a more special meaning for me. I have 5 brothers and four of them are serving in the military- either in Air Force or Army. Today one of them left for Iraq. Brian is the first to serve in this war. I was unable to go down to see him off but it turns out that the "send-off" was a misunderstanding. (Check out my sister's blog for more info.)

This evening I thought I'd call his wife to say hi and see how she was doing. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed what I thought was Brandi's cell phone. Imagine my surprise when I heard Brian on the other end! He said he had just arrived in Maine an hour earlier. (My heart kind of got that scared feeling- for a brief moment- when I realized he was already on his way.) I was able to chat with him for a few minutes. In the Christmas craziness, I didn't really get a chance to sit and talk with Brian. (At the time I figured I'd stop at his house on the way back to Idaho. But a threatening snow storm changed our plans.) So this was a nice surprise for me!

Through wonderful modern technology, we'll be able to keep in touch with him via e-mail. I look forward to hearing updates from him.

Godspeed Brian! We pray for your safe return! We love you!!

Here's what I've been up to!

Shelby (my SIL) has been patiently teaching me how to do a digital layout using Photoshop Elements 6.0. I just hope I remember it all when I get home! Thanks Shel!!

Merry Christmas!

Wow! It's Christmas Eve! Caleb, Kaitlyn and Jared have been so excited all day. They were excited all month (since Thanksgiving actually) but today they seem to be bouncing off the walls. Even Caleb! He's the worst!

We are in Lindon, Utah at my parent's house. I have a brother and a sister (and their families) who live close by and another brother who flew in from Ohio with his family. We just got back from Christmas caroling- a Hansen family tradition. We also drove around to see homes decorated with lights. There were some pretty cool ones to see (and they probably have a pretty "cool" bill to match! but I'm glad they take the time to do it!) We'll end the night with reading the story of the First Christmas from the scriptures. Those are two traditions my family has always done when I was growing up.

I found out at Thanksgiving that my brother will be going to Iraq. Because he's in the Air Force, he doesn't thave to stay as long. Some people think he's lucky but no matter how long he's there, the separation is still difficult for those he leaves behind. We'll all miss him but none more than his wife and twin sons! He leaves on Saturday. I wish I could be here to see him off.

We want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Our hearts fill with joy when we think of the love Heaven Father has for us all. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way. We are grateful for all of our friends and family. You bring so much joy to our life! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

(P.S.- pictures will follow later!)

Through the eyes of a child

I'm always amazed that every year my kids (starting with Caleb when he was 2) would always rearrange my nativity scene and put all the people and animals in a tight cluster in a circle. It would drive me nuts because then I'd have to rearrange it back to the way I thought it should be- so we could all see each animal and each person, especially the baby Jesus. Then one day I stopped myself and asked them why they set up the Nativity that way. Their reply was so sweet- "So they can all see the baby Jesus!" That's probably more a resemblance of how things were that sacred night; everyone probably huddled around the baby Jesus to worship and adore Him. Ever since my kids gave that sweet explanation, I've left the Nativity scene the way they choose to set it up. It's their way of telling me that small as they are, they truly know Christ's birth was a miracle and a joyous occasion for all who were there.

I finished!!

On Wednesday night I finished the Book of Mormon! That means I completed my final ticket for my Woodbadge requirements! Woo-hoo!! I'm so excited! It was good to read the book and remember the things I learned in Seminary. Such amazing stories in there!

Just a few days ago, while I was focused on reading the BOM, Jared comes and stands on the couch next to me. He rests his hand on my shoulder and asks what I'm doing. I explain to him that I'm reading the scriptures and then proceed to read the next verse. Suddenly he says, "Look Mom! A candycane!" So I ask, "Where?" He then points to my scriptures and sure enough, I see the candycane!

Caleb's Choir Concert

Wow! I didn't realize I hadn't posted since Nov. 27th! I guess I was just waiting for something noteworth to blog. There's all kinds of little things to mention that I just never got around to posting.

Tonight, Caleb performed in his school's Choir Concert. He is taking choir as a "filler" class. He really insisted that we didn't need to come and see him perform. I told him singing is a good thing and he said something like "yeah, if you're not singing soprano!" It seems his teacher thinks all the boys can sing soprano. I know their voices are changing and stuff but these boys have to be singing falsetto in order to sing that high! I'm afraid she's going to ruin Caleb's desire to ever be a part of a choir again. They sang a few of the usual fun songs and even "Silent Night" (imagine that- in a school even!). They also sang a couple of patriotic numbers in honor of a soldier present in the audience who had just returned from his tour of duty in Iraq. (We've had a couple of soldiers from Pocatello die while serving in Iraq in the last year so they wanted to do something for this soldier.)

In the picture above, Caleb is in the middle row, right in the middle of the picture (probably about 8 kids from the right side).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I set up the tree over the weekend and wish I could say it went without a hitch. For the first time in years I actually had a problem with the lights! Two strings of lights I had half burned out. Rather than try to find the one that's burned out, I went and got new lights. Then come to find out that the plug on one of them is faulty. Of course it's 12:30 on Saturday night when I discover this so rather than go all weekend without lights on the tree, I made do. The kids love helping to decorate the tree. Kenny G's Miracles, Faith and Jim Brickman's The Gift was playing in the background while we drank hot chocolate and watched the twinkling lights. The magic of Christmas filling the air with each ornament we put on the tree.
One of the things I have on the tree is the little baby Jesus (a little plastic baby wrapped in "swaddling clothes" laying in a walnut shell). It was so sweet to see Jared's face when he discovered this. I purposely put it on the tree at his eye level so that he would see it. Of course it hasn't stayed on the tree much. He carries it around with him every where he goes and is always telling us about the baby Jesus.
Throughout this season as we go about our busy lives, don't forget the reason we celebrate this special season: the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving at our house

I know Thanksgiving was last week and most everyone I know already posted their pictures. So I'm a little late but who cares!

Yumm!! Seeing all this food makes me want to go eat dinner! All the food was so declicious! I didn't get pics of everyone there. Just those who were cooperative for the camera!

Pictures from Kaitlyn's party

I promised pictures from Kaitlyn's party so here they are! Everyone thought I was crazy to have 8 girls over here. I didn't mind it at all! Sure it was a little noisy but as long as everyone was having fun, I didn't care!

After all the girls arrived, they ate cake and ice cream. Then went on to open presents. After that, they watched the movie Ratatouille and ate caramel popcorn. About half way through, some of the girls were bored with the movie (they had seen it already) and wanted to dance. watching a bunch of 9 year olds dance is pretty entertaining! Sorry- I didn't get a picture of that.

Woodbadge

I know it's been a long time since I have made a post. Let me explain why. First of all I've been working more hours to help out with the finances. Secondly, I've been trying to finish a goal I set while at Woodbadge during the summer of 2006.

Woodbadge is a leadership training course put on by the Boy Scouts of America. The course teaches leadership skills and communication/listening skills through games, skits, lectures, campfire ceremonies, flag raisings, etc. It is not just for scouting people. They encourage anyone who wants to become a better leader to attend it. Of course it helps if you have scouting background because they refer to it a lot. When I attended, the course director was a judge from the juvenile court system here in Pocatello. Since he was the director, he assigned a lot of people who work in the juvenile system to attend the course. About 1/3 of the attendees were there because of their affilation with the Judge (most had no scouting experience). Anyway, one of the things you do at Woodbadge is set 5 tickets (goals) to work on and complete over the course of the next 18 months. They have to be fulfilled within that time in order for you to receive "beads" and a neckerchief. I have completed 4 of my 5 tickets and the last one is still in progress. That goal was to read the Book of Mormon. I am so close to being done. So, between work and reading the BOM, family, and church calling, my evenings have been pretty full.

I had a blast at Woodbadge! While I was there, they organized everyone into patrols. There are 5-6 people in a patrol and each patrol has a troop guide to teach us things that make us better leaders. I was assigned to the Bobwhite Patrol. Our patrol had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed our time at Woodbadge. Here is a picture of us.


My patrol still communicates with each other often and we are working on our goal of having our beading ceremony together.

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

So, yesterday was Kaitlyn's 9th birthday. She's been talking about it for like 4 months. Not a day went by where we didn't hear how many days away her birthday was! She is so excited to have a party! We decided on a "late night" party for her and her friends. It's like a slumber party except the girls don't sleep here! Which is great because then I don't have to feed them breakfast and deal with all the picky eaters! Providing popcorn for the movie and cake/ice cream for dessert is something all the girls will like! Last night we worked on the invitations for her party. Kaitlyn just can't wait until Friday! I'll be sure to take some pictures of the party to share with you all!

Happy Halloween!

Last night we carved some pumpkins to put on display by the front door, courtesy of ISU. Yesterday evening, I was at ISU picking up copies and I noticed there was a carnival going on in the gym area. So I went in there (the kids were not with me) and saw they had pumpkins already gutted and ready to carve. So I took a couple home with me for the kids to carve. The kids had fun working on the pumpkins. They turned out fantastic!

Today we went to a trunk or treat for our ward. Kaitlyn dressed as Hannah Montana and Jared was a Jack O' Lantern (pumpkin). I did something clever. See if you can figure it out! The answer will be after the slideshow.

I have to credit my costume to my old friend, Michelle W. I saw her today with a cardboard sign hanging around her neck. There was an "I" painted on it. I asked her what the "I" was for and she answered with a question- "What color is the 'I'?" The "I" was pink, so it's Pink Eye! It's gross and funny at the same time! Since I didn't have a costume on, I decided to borrow her idea. Everyone asked me "What's up with the I? So I asked them the same question my friend asked me. So many people thought it was so funny! I put pink lipstick/blush around my eyes, but people didn't really notice that until they figured out the sign!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A few cards I've been working on

I subscribe to a monthly scrapbooking kit. The kit comes with stuff to make cards- envelopes, paper, and all sorts of embellishments. When I got this month's kit, for some reason I just sat down and actually started making cards! I've been getting the kits for 4 months now and this is the first one where I sat down and used it! And I don't send Halloween cards! I guess I'll be giving these to the sisters I visit teach- along with a little treat.

Super Saturday

Today was my ward's Super Saturday. One of the things I learned was to make cards and envelopes using freezer paper and tissue paper! I would never have thought that the two would go together! First we traced a template for the envelope and the card onto the freezer paper (the non-shiny side). Then you iron the tissue paper onto the shiny, slick side. It works like fusible web or whatever it's called. For the envelope you fold the flaps, glue and ta-dah! You've got an envelope! The card is the same except you just fold in half. This is the perfect way to use the tissue paper you get at parties- besides reusing them in other gifts! In some cases, the more crinkly the paper, the better!

Playing with clay

I went to work for a few hours today and left Caleb in charge of Kaitlyn and Jared. When I got home, Caleb and Kaitlyn surprised me with something they made with clay. I don't know if most of you are familiar with the movie "Flushed Away". I borrowed it from the daycare at my office (it has become Jared's favorite movie) and one of the features on the DVD is to "Build a Slug". So Caleb and Kaitlyn were watching that and decided to try it for themselves. I think they did a fabulous job! Check it out!

Pumpkin Patch

This last Monday (Oct 1) Jared's preschool class went to a local farm- Swore Farms- to visit the pumpkin patch. We just had a cold weekend (snow!) and hoped for warm sunshine so the kids could enjoy the field trip. They day started out nice but by the time we got to the pumpkin patch, the wind started picking up and the wind was just enough to make the kids cold. We went through a long corn maze. There were questions posted throughout the maze and the answer you choose determines which way you go. Some were easy but most stumped the adults! It was a good learning experience. After a while, we adults learned that if we didn't know the answer to the question, we could just send the kids ahead to tell us which answer was wrong (wrong answers were dead ends). They had lots of fun!

Snow?!

I know this is a little late to post about the first snow here in Poky. I wanted to share these pictures but never found time to post. The headlines in the newspaper the next day announced that there was 6/10ths of an inch to 2 inches of snow reported throughout Poky. The higher areas (where we are) got 1-2 inches of snow. The snow was gone by the next day though.

A conversation with Jared

Tonight as the older kids were getting ready for bed, I was watching Jared as he went about doing what 3 year olds do best- discover the world around them. I was thinking, with a little sadness, that this little boy that I enjoy being with right now will someday grow up. These words were exchanged-

Mom (to Jared)- You're so cute... I don't want you to grow up.
Jared- But I want to grow up!
Mom- (a small sigh and lost in thought)
Jared- (sigh) Fine, I'll stay small.

If only that were possible. I just thought it was so sweet that he offered to stay small to make me happy. As if he could control his destiny!

Developing a new musical talent

Kaitlyn is learning to play the violin!

Today was her first day in the Strings Program. They only let 3rd through 6th graders learn in this program. If you wait until 7th grade, it's too late. I was really disappointed because I thought I could sign Caleb up for it in 7th grade but everything related to instruments requires previous experience. So, I learned my lesson and signed Kaitlyn up this year. We rented a 3/4 Violin for her to use throughout the year. She has been anxious to learn to play it since we got it. I wish we lived closer to aunts Molly and Shelby! They could help her fine tune her skills. They play the violin beautifully! In fact, Kaitlyn says they're the ones who inspired her to want to play!

Camp Cumorah

Yesterday (9/19) Eric and I went up to Camp Cumorah to provide service hours. Our stake is one of several that will be using this new campsite for Young Women. We had previously been using another campsite owned by other stakes but I guess it was decided that a new camp should be set up to aleviate demand for one campsite. They decided to go all out on this camp- huge lodge, kitchen, bathroom/shower facilities, water and power to each of the campsites, etc.

Our ward was assigned to provide 2 people for 3 different days this month. They gave the High Priest Group the responsibility to provide people on the 19th. No one but Eric could go! It's a long drive there (they said 2 hours) and they wanted two people to work all day. I took pity on Eric and made necessary arrangements to go with him. We left here at 7:15 am after feeding the kids breakfast and packing lunch for everyone. We left Caleb and Kaitlyn to get themselves ready for school and out the door on time. We dropped Jared off at the babysitter's and headed off to the mountains!

The instructions on the map show that the camp is only 57 miles away. We were puzzled as to why it took 2 hours to get there. Some of it was slow driving- dirt rock roads and switchbacks, etc. It is a beautiful drive and I wished I had my camera with me! Fall is showing it's beautiful colors in the mountains. All around we saw shades of red, yellow, orange, and green. The roads were narrow so the wildlife and trees were practically right next to us! We saw cows, chipmunks, and falcons on the drive up. It was a beautiful drive! We made it there (after 1 1/2 hours) and set right to work. They had us smoothing out tentsites. Each campsite has a cement platform for food preparation and tables- complete with electricity and water hookups. There are about 6 surrounding tentsites- 4 for the girls, one for the leaders and one for the priesthood leaders. There's probably about 10-12 of these campsites. The tentsites were already plowed (trees removed) had straw laid out with a pile of gravel/sand mix. Our job was to take the half logs (about 10 feet or so) and make a perimeter for the tent sites- 16'x32'. We had to level the logs, spread out the gravel/sand and level that (without levelers!). It took us about 3 hours to do one. It was hard work and we were so pleased with the way our first project turned out. We took a break for lunch and then went to get more logs. Then we started and another 16'x32' tentsite. By that time we were getting worn out and the second pile of sand wasn't as soft as the first. Along came this man who works for the church (I guess he's there to oversee the project) and he said he'd find us a Bobcat (machine, not animal) to move and smooth out the gravel and we would do the detail work. We were so appreciative to have that help!

There is so much to do up there to get it ready before the snow sets in. We didn't see very many people there. Just the usual staff that do this stuff day in and day out. They said the bulk of their help comes on Saturday (obviously). After all that hard work we did yesterday, we have much admiration and appreciation for those people who are up there doing this everyday until the camp is finished. And they're not young people either!

We came home around 6 pm and rested for the rest of the evening. Now it's the day after and I'm not as sore as I thought I would be! As Eric and I reflected on our day, we realized we "lost ourselves in service". We didn't think once about the trials that were upon us. Of course we thought of our kids and hoped they were doing ok but trusted in the Lord and the caretakers. Other than that, our minds were focused on the work. Such an honest hard day's work!

Jared is in preschool!

Jared started preschool this last Monday. We were supposed to go to an open house last week to meet the teacher and see where he would be going to "school" but it was cancelled because some carpet repairs couldn't be done in time. Jared knows the lady who does the preschool because she helps out in the nursery so I wasn't too concerned about that. I just wanted him to be comfortable with the place and the kids before that day. Anyway, the day came and we put a back pack on him and off we went to school (but not without having to jumpstart the van!!). We went through the door and Jared immediately left my side to check out all the toys and the other kids. He barely even said "bye" to me! When I came back to get him 2 hours later, he didn't want to leave! I should've known he would be just fine. Here's a picture of him on his first day!

September 11th

Yesterday was Remembrance Day. I didn't have a chace to get on here and make a post to share my reflections on about that day. I drove through town to get to work and I was saddened when I noticed that very few flags were posted anywhere. It seems like people have forgotten (or are trying to forget) the horror and gut-wrenching sorrow of that day. But we can't also forget the bravery of the rescue workers and the outpouring of love and support from Americans everywhere that pulled our country together. Some of my brothers are serving in various branches of military. Though they are not currently in active duty, someday they will be asked to "stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation" (as written in the "Star Spangled Banner"). I love America and all it stands for. I appreciate the sacrifice so many soldiers and their family make for our country and others as well. They are the reason America continues to be so great.

In support of the soldiers in Iraq, a local Jr. High school student organized an event at a local car dealership called "9/11 Commeration: Spice Up the Night" that night. Admission was a container of unopened spice or hard, wrapped suckers that the soldiers in Iraq can give out. Eric took the kids to that and they were able to see a military helicopter, tank, firetruck, etc as well as enjoy performers and a speech by my friend/boss-Farhana Hibbert. Caleb and Kaitlyn even climbed a 30-foot wall they set up in the parking lot! I was at work so Eric took some pictures. He knew I'd chew him out if he let an opportunity like this pass without taking a camera with him! (That's my motto now- Never leave home without the camera!)

computer troubles over??

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not that smart when it comes to computers. That's why I married Eric (just kidding!) Monday night we headed over to the local outdoor miniature golf place and putted 18 holes for our Family Home Evening. I got lots of pictures and wanted to post them here right away. In stead of using One True Media to make the slideshow, I decided to try another method of putting the pictures in a slideshow (thanks Shelby!) but couldn't figure out where the pictures were stored on my computer!! (My computer has a mind of it's own and moved things around.) Of course Eric wasn't around to help me out much (it's been a busy week for us both). So, here we are on Saturday and I'm finally making a post about something that happened on Monday night!!



I didn't realize until after Eric already paid for me that I should have just focused on taking pictures of everyone having fun instead of actually golfing. Everyone had lots of fun golfing, even if we all didn't score well. Jared was our little cheerleader and morale booster (not that we really needed it but it just describes what he was doing that night). He was cheering for everyone any time they made it into the hole- whether it took 2 putts or 5! It was so sweet to see him having so much fun! He took his turns hitting his ball. Then he'd go over and pick it up and go to the next hole!

Caleb's Ultimate Fear Factor

Earlier this evening Eric told me something that I thought was pretty funny. He and Caleb were talking while they were cleaning up after dinner. Caleb said that with all the disgusting, gross stuff that you see people eat on Fear Factor just for the hope of winning money, if he were a contestant and they brought out broccoli, he'd quit in a heartbeat.

He didn't always hate broccoli. In fact, he loved it when he was younger. I think he stopped eating them when I started steaming them instead of cooking them until they were limp. Poor kid. He's missing out on so much.

The beauty of color!

I know this might sound a little silly but lately I have just been in love with the colors around me! I was talking to a really good friend of mine at about noon today. She told me that the local greenhouse was serving free lunches today- BBQ sandwiches, corn on the cob, watermelon and apple/pumpkin pie! So we loaded up the family and headed over there for a yummy lunch. Scattered on the table were various pepper plants. I just fell in love with the colors and just had to buy a plant. I love the striking red against the vibrant green leaves!!


When we got home, the kids headed down to the office to draw on the huge dry erase baord we have mounted on the wall. At first they were all drawing on it at the same time. Then they took turns drawing an item that was in the room and having the others guess what it is they are drawing. Kind of like "I Spy". I asked them what their favorite colors are. Jared's favorite color is blue, Caleb- turquoise, Kaitlyn- light blue and Dallyce (Kaitlyn's friend)- red. Personally, my favorite color is pink. I just can't seem to get enough of that color!


Be sure to take a minute to see all the colors that surround you! Especially with Fall fast approaching! Imagine being surrounded by all those beautiful colors! Hmmm...maybe I should go paint my bedroom!

First day of school report

I know the first day of school was yesterday but I'm still learning how to find my pictures once I download them on to the computer!

Caleb and Kaitlyn had early release on the first day. They got out 2 hours earlier than normal. When they got home, I asked them the usual questions...who is in your class, do you like your teacher, etc. Caleb actually reported that he was late for school! I just have to say it wasn't my fault! (Sounds eerily like my dream I mentioned earlier!) The kids in this area ride the bus to the junior high. The bus that was supposed to pick up the boys had some problems so they had to get a different bus. The bus that picks up the girls said that any boys who wanted to get on was welcome to. Wouldn't you guess that not one boy got on!?! Eric and I were shocked when we checked the bus schedule prior to the start of school, and discovered that the boys and girls ride separate buses but I wonder if they would have split themselves up anyway! Anyway, Caleb didn't show up at the school until 9 am. I'm not sure how late that was. Probably not very much. After all, he did get a locker and apparently is one of the few that can open the locks on the first try!

Today Caleb came home and told me all the tough rules they're imposing on the students. I told him it's just their way of teaching the students responsibility and to use their time wisely! Hope he learns quickly!

Kaitlyn came home from school with a new homework assignment planner. She's so excited to have it! After her friends went home, she announced that she had homework. She pulled out this planner and showed me her spelling list. Her homework was to practice spelling and to do a math worksheet. She's just loving school!

As for me and Jared, we miss Caleb and Kaitlyn during the day. Jared especially. I'll just have to find things to do to keep him busy during the day!

I love to see the temple!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On Saturday, our family drove up to Idaho Falls to see Matt and Sheryl be sealed in the temple. Jared fell asleep on the drive up. He woke up grouchy and was not cooperative for pictures! It was so sweet to see the temple worker bring Levi in. It was hard to hold back the tears when he joined Matt and Sheryl at the altar and they were sealed for time and all eternity!

Watching this sealing brought back memories of when Eric and I were married in the Arizona Temple. Eric and I celebrated our 14th anniversary just 5 days earlier! I can't believe it's been that long! Now we have added 3 beautiful children to our family! How grateful I am that the gospel was restored so we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity!

I love the pictures of Caleb and Kaitlyn looking at the temple. I plan to enlarge it and hang it up in their room so they can always have a visual reminder of their goal to go to the temple someday!

It's back to school time!

Hmmm....it seemed like I had a cart load of stuff when I was shopping but now that I have it on my living room floor, it doesn't seem like a lot. These are all the things a kid needs to go to school (minus the back pack and lunch bag). The shirt and shorts are Caleb's PE uniform.

Every time school starts, I'm reminded of the movie "You've Got Mail". I love the character Meg Ryan plays (can't remember her name). Her character talks about how she loves this time of year. I, too, love this time of year! I love getting ready for school- buying all the pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. I love that the weather begins to cool down and the leaves are falling (don't like raking them though). I love the smell of fire in fireplaces and the warm aromas associated with Fall.

On the other hand, this also seems to be the time for those recurring nightmares about school tests. I had a dream the other night that we dropped Caleb off for his first day of school and found out that because we showed up several hours late (can't figure out why), he missed his orientation and since he wasn't there when they assigned lockers, he didn't have a locker! I felt so bad for him because I totally messed up his chance of "fitting in at school". Everyone around us was laughing at him and he was labled a "nerd" (because he has to carry his books around all day- no locker). Hmmm...I wonder if that has a hidden meaning. Any dream analyzers out there?

Caleb and Kaitlyn start school next Monday. I sure hope they love their teachers and make lots of new friends! I found out Kaitlyn and Sidney are in the same class again next year. I thought for sure after 2nd grade that they would be in different classes in 3rd grade! Kaitlyn's teacher told me they were always giggling when they were in class. She'd have to separate their desks! I hope they don't drive their new teacher nuts!

Summer Days

Summer Days

Everyday this summer, the first thing I heard just about every day was, "Mom, can I call Sydney and see if she can play?" Sydney is this cute little girl in our neighborhood and she and Kaitlyn are inseparable. They are so cute together and I always hear them giggling when they're together.

Earlier this summer Kaitlyn asked me if she and Sydney could set up a kool-aid stand. The kids actually asked me several times but I always hesitated because I didn't want their hearts to be broken if nobody bought their kool-aid. This time, I decided I couldn't get away with saying "maybe another time" one more time. So, we pulled out the big 2 gallon cooler, made kool-aid in it and dumped all of the ice from our freezer in another cooler (for putting into cups). We put a banquet table and the coolers on Caleb's skateboard, rolled it down the street to the corner (5 houses down) and set it up. Pretty soon the girls were in business! I headed back home not really expecting much success. After about an hour, I sent Caleb and Jared down there with quarters to buy kool-aid to help the girls out (just in case no one had bought any yet). Imagine my surprise when he came back and said they had already sold $5 worth of kool-aid!!

After about 2 hours, I decided the girls had been out in the sun long enough. They didn't want to close their "business" but I distracted them by sending them home to count their sales. They made $11!! Of course they split it between the two of them. Not bad for a couple of hours of hard work! I'm so proud of these girls. Next time you see a kool-aid stand in your neighborhood, be sure to stop by and help them out! You'll just make their day!!

Guitar Hero wanna be

Jared playing his "guitar"

A new Hensley cousin!

Our kids were so excited to hear that their cousin Levi was born! Uncle Matt and his wife, Sheryl, had their baby boy on Wednesday, Aug 15th at 6:42 am. Levi weighed 8 lb 12 oz and was 21 inches long. He is a cute little boy and shows some strong Hensley traits (Bob's eyebrows). I also see quite a bit of Sheryl in him too (the round chin)! He's got short, dark hair. He also has a little blonde near the hairline. He's a good blend of both Matt and Sheryl.

It's so sweet to watch Levi when Sheryl is talking. He calms down and looks toward her. I think it's so neat that babies know the sound of their mother's voice.

Jared in particular is so excited for this new cousin. He was a "baby hog." Once he starts holding Levi, he doesn't want to let him go.

Caleb's in 7th Grade!

We registered Caleb for 7th grade today. He is officially in Junior high! We picked up his schedule and paid necessary fees, as well as purchase a PE uniform. Then we went through the school to find where his classes are. His school has 3 levels and they only have 4 minutes between classes to get from one place to another!! For a student who is used to the layout, it's not so bad. But for Caleb (and even me!) it was overwhelming to keep our bearings. He confessed that he was a little nervous. Poor kid!

At the end of 6th grade, the students took an ISAT test (Idaho Standards Achievement Test). We got his test results in the mail the other day and he scored in the "Advanced" levels in all 3 areas- Reading, Mathematics, and Language Usage. The school put him in Advanced Pre-Algebra and Advanced Literature. He is also taking Life Science and English. The rest of his classes are no brainer classes like choir, PE, Acceleration (reading and study hour), and homeroom.

I can't believe Caleb is old enough to be in 7th grade!

Jared's singing ability

My 8-yr old daughter, Kaitlyn loves to sing. She has been teaching Jared some songs she learned in school and Jared has developed that same talent. Now he sings all the time. One Sunday at church, my husband picked up Jared from nursery. The nursery leaders told him that Jared has been singing this particular song over and over again. He even got some of the other nursery kids to join in. Guess what song he was singing..."Life is a highway, I'm gonna ride it all night long," singing the last three words with a serious twang I didn't know a 3 year old was capable of. He really likes the movie "Cars" and that song just kind of stuck in his head. Nevertheless, the next Sunday, he comes home singing another song, "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man." Over and over again. (Of course it happened to be raining that day so it was perfect!) I guess the nursery leaders were able to teach him another song! He still sings "Life is a Highway, I'm gonna ride it all night long" all the time and I hope he keeps doing it.