Cross Country

Lizzy joined the Cross Country team again this year.  She has discovered that running is really something that comes naturally to her and she really does enjoy it.  She made so many strides this year and really improved as the year went on.  She had some up and downs over the season and at times frustrated me because she would admit that she wasn't trying her hardest.  But in the Finals she got her PR of 9;34 and finished 8th overall out of 10 schools.  I was so proud of her in that race because I could tell that she really tried her very hardest and that is the most important thing in my opinion.  I don't care if she isn't the very best as long as she gives her best.  I really am looking forward to next year because I know she is going to be even better!

The Pumpkin Farm

 We took our annual trip to the Pumpkin Farm with Miss Patty's Place.  Usually I kind of dread this trip, because I am on my own, with a preschooler and usually a baby or two, and it is just exhausting lugging them all around.  The year Annie was a baby I forgot my stroller and it was a little bit of a nightmare trying to deal with everything and keep everyone happy and lug them all and our stuff the whole time.  This year was totally different!  For the first time I actually had a great time!  Clara was big enough to do all the stuff that Annie could and we seriously had such a blast!  Clara decided that she was as big as all the preschoolers and she had to sit up with them while they dang their songs and participate as well. It was awesome!  She is getting so big and so fun.  I am really enjoying seeing them have more independence and having us all enjoy stuff more. I am loving being a mom of older children!  Its the best!

 Annie and her friends.  They have a smaller class this year and it has been really fun to have some really close frineds for Annie.

 I just cant get over how big this little lady is!  She is just so fun to take places, because she is so easy and happy to be there!

                                                      They had fun on the hayride.

                                                           And in the cornmaze

                                                             My big girl Annie

Probably their favorite thing to do was to pick out a pumpkin to take home.  They loved the little pumpkins. It was such a fun day with my little gals!

Women's Conference

 Lizzy and I decided to take a trip to Women's Conference. It is a Hansen family tradition to take the boys to Priesthood Session when they turn twelve, and I thought that it didn't seem fair that only the boys got to do it.  Why not the girls too?  So we decided to make a little weekend trip.  We left Thursday night and drove to Elko.  It was crazy because it had gotten a little cool and as we drove through the Sierras it had actually snowed a little. We ended up stopping in Reno because after getting such a late start I had to get a Red Bull to make it to Elko. I was so tired.  It ended up being a bad idea though because I had gotten a really cheap hotel online and it was a dive and I was a little creeped out.  Between being a little scared to be on our own in a creepy hotel and just drinking a red bull I basically didn't sleep at all that night. We got up pretty early and headed out to my parents house and got there around noon, and I was so exhausted! 

It was crazy to see the snow over the pass so early in the season.

It was fun to see family even if it was such a brief trip.  I took this picture of Lucy to send to Annie, because she just loves her cousin Lucy.

I got to see and hold my sweet little new nephew Neal.  He is so darling and it was fun to get to see him when he was so small and new.

It was so fun to be with my sisters and mom and go take Lizzy to the conference. It was the first time that we had gone to the conference center for Conference and it was the neatest experience and I really felt the spirit really strongly.

I had the best time being with my girl on this trip!  I loved the one on one time we got to talk and sing and just laugh and have fun together.  I love that she still likes to be with me.  She is such an amazing girl and I am so blessed to be her mom! 

On the trip home we had one of the scariest experiences I have ever had.  We left around 8 am, the roads were a little wet because it was raining, but not really that rainy , just a little.  We had just gotten onto I-80 and I was in the left lane and I decided to move to the right, and I lost complete control and couldn't stop.  I slid off the freeway! It was a miracle that we didn't flip with how fast we were going when we slid off.  There was no damage to the car and we were able to get back onto the road and finish our trip. I know there were angels watching over us and helping us stay safe!

Sisters

 These tow girls just kill me sometimes.  They really can be either the best of friends or worst of enemies.  I can find them being either so sweet with each other or trying to beat each other up.  It reminds me so much of the ways that my sister Chanelle and I used to be growing up and now we are the greatest friends and I am so glad that she is my sister.  I really hope it will be that way with these two.

 I really love the way that Clara is looking at Annie here.  It is just so sweet.

Miss Patty's Place

It was so hard for Annie to start preschool three weeks after the kids started.  She LOVES going to Miss Patty's Place and the day had finally arrived where she got to go too.  She is so happy that she now gets to go three days a week and there isn't such a long time to wait over the weekend to go again.  She loves her friends Grace and Liv and getting to go play with them.  Since starting Miss Patty;s in January, Annie has learned how to swing herself on the swing really well and now she doesn't have to be pushed at all. Its awesome!  Its so fun to see her learn so much and grow so much. She is such a big girl! 

I cant believe that she is in her last year of preschool and will start Kindergarten next year!  Wow! I love this picture of Annie and Clara because Annie is looking like she really doesn't want Clara in the picture but she is making the best of it. Haha! 

Back to School

The kids were all ready to go back to school after a fun summer of playing our hearts out. Janie was starting third grade. She has Mrs. Joachim. Jane's class is cool because they don't have regular seats, they have different kinds of options like exercise balls and stools etc.  She was excited about that. 

 She didn't seem nervous.  It was nice that one of her best buddies Maxim is in her class again.

 Lizzy was excited to start seventh grade and is already looking so much older and grown up, I only have pictures of her and Nellie at home because that would be really lame for me to take them to school in middle school.

 Nellie is starting sixth grade and Middle school!  She was so nervous and worried about how hard it would be compared to elementary school.  She won't have a problem, she is so smart!  It reminds me of myself when I was her age though. I was so scared to move up to the next schools too, but it ended up not being that big of a deal, and that is what I told her.

 Clara just had to be in the picture with Russ, so I had to take one with him alone too. It seems like I had a picture of me on the first day of kindergarten with one of my little brothers too.

 Russ doesn't really seem to get nervous for things so that is nice.  Either that or he just doesn't let on about it.

 Russ was excited to see his friend Rylee in his class.  It made him not as nervous to have someone from his TK class with him.

 Russell had a great first day in the owl class.  I love his cute owl hat.

I went and picked them up and rode home with them to make sure that Russell would do okay and he did great.  He is such a  rule follower that I had nothing to worry about. haha!

End of Summer Fun

We seriously seemed to pack it all in this summer.  We did so many fun things, took a really great trip and had many days of fun swimming. 

 Annie and Clara have a good friend Piper and her Mom just had a baby, and the girls were absolutely enthralled with him!  They wanted their picture taken with him.

 We love having our family movie night and Clara has started to be big enough to stay up with all of us and watch the movie.  She thought she was a hot shot getting to have her own popcorn adn candy and watch the movie.

 We had to go shoe shopping before school started so the kids would have some shoes to wear to school.  It seriously stresses me out taking all of them because they act so crazy and are all over the place.  They all have to look at what they want and they want my attention and need my help, all at the same time.  It's pure craziness.  But these two found the same shoes and were just so dang cute with them that it made up for the craziness.

 We did some major hair chopping before school started. They watned a fresh look and I think it turned out great!

We alwasy get to celelbrate this awesome guy at the end of summer. We are sure happy that he is ours.  He always asks for the same cake, yellow with chocolate frosting. He is easy to please.

 We discovered this summer that our little Annie girl is a runner.  She wanted to go running with Lizzy and i and she made it almost a mile easily!  She is super cute out there just running her heart out!

 We a great time keeping cool at the pool this summer. Even the little pool in the backyard got some good use.

I just cant get enough of these crazies!  I love having the summer with them and doing fun activities.

Clara was killing us because she got up on the counter and started eating raw onions.  Yes raw!  She loves them!  Such a silly goose.

These tow are seriously the best of friends and worst of enemies.  I sure do love that they like being together, when they aren't beating each other up. Haha!

I was dying when I came in the room in the morning and found Annie asleep like this!  So crazy!

Clara has turned into such a big girl lately!  We love that she can do so much more with the other kids and it isn't like having a baby anymore.