5 Reasons to Love Life

At times, life can get busy and we forget the reasons why we get up every day and go through the monotonous routines of work, children, spouse, cleaning, etc. I have some great reasons that I'm grateful for the life I live. While I too can be burdened with life's demands, I'm thankful for the sweet moments that carry me through.

1) The simple pleasures that make us pause and notice the small and simple things.
2) The tender care we receive from others when we've had a bad day or don't feel well.

3) The opportunity to do stupid things that others are allowed to laugh at.

4) The constant reminders that we're loved, even from those with whom we may have trouble communicating or understanding what they want to say.

5) The curiosity to look for new adventures, new routes, and new lessons every day.

Isn't life great?!

Kyson AKA "Big Boy" Hansen

So a week ago, we decided to change Kyson's crib into a toddler bed. A cousin of mine had said they had a hard time changing their little one into a toddler bed, and it wouldn't hurt to do it. We also knew our nephew who is only 4 months older than Kyson has been in a "big boy" bed for a while now. So last weekend we made the switch. It's been interesting. The first 5 days or so, he was fabulous. He went to bed and didn't give us any troubles. When it wasn't bed time or nap time, he loved climbing into his bed and so did Franni.

Well as we are now passing day 8, Kyson takes 3 of his blankets everywhere he goes and he's no longer taking his naps in his bed. He takes all the blankets off of his bed and sleeps on the floor. I did the same thing when I was young, and Kris still does it occasionally :). So now I'm in a quandry as to whether or not I should switch back to the crib or it's not a big deal if he chooses to sleep on the floor. I've put a poll on my blog, give me some feedback you experienced parents.

My Father Took up a New Sport - Boy He's Good!

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Another Family Birthday

Today is my "big sister's" birthday. She's two years older than me, but a few inches smaller. Our relationship has changed many times in the years we've been together. Growing up we didn't like one another (but that isn't too abnormal with siblings). Over the years we grown to really appreciate one another. After our brother died and she divorced her husband we became especially close, but she has moved on and has found the love of her life and is extremely happy.

Happy Birthday Jen, I hope it's been a great day for you!This is me with my sister and our great grandmother.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday and all I can say is I'm thankful she is my mother. She's had her ups and downs but she is a devoted woman and she has been a great influence on me and my life.

My mom has been a teacher for many years - I don't know exactly how many, but it's close to 30 years. She teachers at West lake Junior High in a self-contained behavior disorder unit and has changed many students' lives in the process. She is firm with her boundaries and loves people despite their faults or the way they may treat her. I learned that from experience.

When I was in high school, I didn't agree with my mother on multiple occasions. I did many things to show her I didn't agree: I lied to her, I called her horrible names, I tried to run away - and with all my behaviors, she still loved me.

She's been such a help to me since becoming a mother myself. She loves her grandchildren and she doesn't offer her advice freely. She gives it when she may be concerned or when it's asked. While I don't plan on being just like my mom, I have definitely learned from her.

There were two defining moments in my life when my opinion of my mother changed. When I was 19, I was hospitalized for kidney stones. I spent a month in and out of the hospital, I had 3 surgeries, and lost 50 pounds. My mother was there for me every moment. She tried to find things I could eat, she was patient with all of my throwing up, and she slept at the hospital every night. I have never seen her so dedicated to me as I had when I truly needed her and it's something I've never forgotten.

The second defining moment was while I was on my mission. I served in Italy for a year and half and my mother is the only person from home who wrote me weekly. For those who have served a mission (before the email access), you know how important the mail is. It is a life source and can lift you after the hard days of rejection. My mother was there for me once again and it made a huge difference in my mission.

Thank you mom for being a great person. You've helped many people and left an imprint on their lives permanently. As Maya Angelou would say, you're a phenomenal woman, and I'm proud to call you Mom.

Happy Birthday.

Bear Lake . . . Again

As the title of this posts reads, we went to Bear Lake for the holiday weekend. It was great to spend time with my parents, my aunt Gretchen and uncle Dennis, and my cousin Ryan with his kids. My cousin has a son a year and a half older than Kyson and it was so cute to see them interact. The lake was too cold so the kids played in a little pool in the front yard.

My uncle gave Kyson ride on the tractor; well, Kyson liked it so little we basically got a picture and he wanted to get off. But hey, we got a picture, right? We haven't pulled out the tractor for so long, but because it is the end of the summer, they used it to pull in the anchors in the lake. We used to dock the boats with it, but because the lake is so far down, it's not safe any more.

This picture doesn't really show anything spectacular, but I like it. He looks like a tiny model the way he's holding onto the bar and looking away from the camera with a serious expression. It's so cliche. It reminds me of Ashton Kucher in "Cheaper by the Dozen."

Kyson and I went four wheeling on the beach. It was beautiful weather and a perfect dusk. I love four wheeling with Kyson on the beach, but apparently, our legislature has nothing more important to do with their time than pass a law that won't allow private land owners to ride four wheelers on the beach. The next day my dad got a ticket and he said he'll go to jail before he pays for that ticket just for the principle of it. I agree with him. I could go off on this subject, but I'll leave it with that.

Franni had it good this weekend. She played outside a lot and loved to run around on the beach. She chased a seagull so far once I had to get the four wheeler to catch her. I had to do it again when she chased a grasshopper down the beach. She ran around a lot, and it wiped her out!

As I mentioned earlier, Kyson played with my cousin's son, Aiden, the weekend. I got a small sample of the many activities they did together.


After the fun-filled weekend, Kyson slept on the way home. I know I'm the mom so I'm biased, but boy he's so cute - especially when he's laughing, happy, and sleeping.