Sunday, October 16, 2022

Our Evening Stroll and Celebrating Harvey!

Always love when family gets together. We don't need a reason, but today was incredibly special because we celebrated Harvey turning ONE! 
 (October 11th was a day none of us will ever forget!  The year before, I got a call from Jen saying that she had just helped deliver Harvey on Chris and Kalei's driveway.  Kalei was a complete superheroine! So was Jen, and Chris qualifies as superhero status too!)

After dinner and before cake, we took an evening stroll around the Hansen's hood. 
It's one of my favorite things.
We brought treats for the horses...


Practiced some poses...
And took in the beautiful sunset...
All together ❤️



There's something freeing about running barefoot on the golf course with a football as the sun sets. 

We are so, incredibly blessed to have these kids all together.  
Happy Birthday Harvey!!!  
We absolutely ADORE you. 

 

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Homecoming #3: Part 2

Jake actually wanted to plan homecoming this year with his friends.  I woke up one day with the greatest idea... Have the kids go up to Momo and BG's house and take pictures up on the 11th hole.  It's such a gorgeous view!!!  Then, they could just walk over to my parents back patio, have dinner, and then a few of the parents could help drive them to the school.  It was a perfect plan... and I think a perfect way to kick off these incredible kids' first homecoming.

Quite stunning, right?

Jake and Elizabeth

The "Mormon" Crew

The entire group!

I wasn't actually at the picture taking... I was over doing Kate's... I was told trying to get the guys to take a decent picture was like trying to herd cats๐Ÿ˜‚













We sent the kids off to the dance... and then hurried and cleaned up at Mom and Dad's (I can't tell you how fun it is to have them just up the hill).  What a treasure for them to be a part of day to day living.

Ended up getting a text with this cute picture about half way through the night❤️

And then I ran off to the store to get more food, because all of the kids and then some would be returning to our house for the "after party."  I thought we had plenty of time, so Joe and I went through and started getting the house ready for the kids to come.  All of the sudden at 9:30 (the dance ended at 10) I got a phone call from Jake asking if they could be picked up.  They'd rather be at our house.  

My waffle bar wasn't ready!!!!!!! Hahah!  We kicked it into high gear and got most everything ready.  
And it turned out great. SO. MUCH. FUN.  
The Waffle Bar
As well as a few other food items!

A little late night backyard swimming and fire pitting


 And then some playing games and lifting weights in the garage...


What a fun night!  The kids left between 12 and 1am.  It didn't matter that Joe was getting up at 6 am the next morning to go to Japan.  It didn't matter than I needed to be at church at 8:30 in the morning because I was playing the piano for Sacrament meeting.... we knew naps could happen, so we enjoyed it...and I think they did too!

Homecoming #3: Our Very Own Foothill High School!

Look at these two!!!  How Cute are they?!!! 
First homecoming for one and last homecoming for the other.




Third and final homecoming for this year.  And they both got to go to all of them together.  
That's pretty fantastic.  


This time around Kate and Jake went with separate groups, which meant that after I took pictures of them on our front steps, Kate ran one way with the seniors and Jake ran the other with the freshmen... 
and Joe and I had to divide and conquer.  

I went to take a few pictures of Kate and her HUGE senior group of friends...




Kate, Lilly and Savannah have become great friends this year. 
Grateful for good friends who take care of each other.


In fact, Lilly made sure that Kate got a picture with me on her Last High School Homecoming❤️





This girl really knows how to have a lot of fun!
She brings pure joy and light with her wherever she goes...


 

A Day in the Life of Mack

Pretty typical day around here for our 6 year old.  He decided to create his own Halloween costume again this year-- He's going to be Mr. Magic Money Man and came up with an entire show for me, complete with an entrance fee๐Ÿ˜‚.  It's lasted about 30 minutes and the story telling and imaginative agenda for the evening were quite impressive.



Soccer is always a good way to burn off a little of that energy.  Mack had a game Saturday morning and scored 4 goals.  He was feeling pretty, darn good. 



We aren't sure if he is in it just for the social, or if he actually loves soccer...




The jury is still out, but it doesn't really matter, does it?  I just love seeing that face break out into a little smile every single time he hears me cheer for him as he goes for the ball. 







We got a special surprise today.  Aunt Alisa stopped by to watch Mack play!  Of course he had to show her his wigglies.  SO fun to have her there.


Mack is just like Jake was when it comes to teeth.  When they start getting wiggly, he becomes fixated on them and can't stop wiggling them.  Jake used to just pull them all out himself.  Mack will walk in the room and announce, "It's time!  Dad, Mom, can you take my tooth out?"  Usually it isn't quite ready yet, but he's always ready.   No fear for this one.  Here he is showing us the latest that was just pulled last night.  Wondering when that Nanny McPhee tooth will finally start to wiggle!  It's dropping like crazy but is still stuck in there like cement!  




 Here are a few "Mackisms" that he has said in the last couple of weeks:


***"Mom, I really want to go to heaven now."  I explained to him how I can only imagine how great it is to be with Heavenly Father and Mother, but I don't want him to go quite yet.  I'd miss him too much!  Then the truth came out.  "Well, Jesus can do anything, right?  Like ANYTHING?  So, if I go up to heaven, then I can have superpowers like He has!!!  That would be SO COOL."  

(I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that Jesus is the greatest superhero of all time in his book.  I really like that a lot).

***(Watching General Conference):  "So, is President Nelson is a prophet like Brett?"  You've got some pretty big shoes to fill, Brett!  Hahah.  I clarified and said, "Do you mean a missionary?  Brett was a missionary..."  Oh ya.  That's what I meant๐Ÿ˜‚.


***Mack was invited to one of his good friend's bday parties on a Sunday afternoon.  Because it was one of his super close friends, I let him choose if he'd like to attend or not.  He said he wanted to be there.  So I RSVP'd yes.  When we got home from church that morning, Mack came up to me and said, "Mom, you're probably going to be pretty mad at me about this, but, I don't want to go to the party.  I want to keep Sunday like a holy day." 

Mad at him?!  Ummm Nope!  I asked Joe later if they had had any sort of talk on the way home from church about the party and Sunday, and they hadn't.  So, somewhere along the way, something touched his little heart. 


***Today Mack woke up saying he hated school and didn't want to go.  When I told him I had breakfast on the table waiting for him downstairs, he went to move and started crying, tell me that his groin hurt.  Nothing I could do would get hime downstairs eating and in the car for school.  So, I made a deal with him.  Oh sigh.  Those darn deals.  I told him that I would send his teacher a note letting her know that he was in a bit of pain.  And if after walking around on it and getting some movement going, if it still really hurt, then he could go to the office and I would come get him (there was a small part of me that worried he might be getting a hernia or something).  So, suddenly he agreed and we were off in the car.  He assured me as he climbed out of the car, "Now, by lunchtime, right?"

I said yes, fully expecting he would get to class and be just fine.  Well, at 12:16pm, there was a call from Sunol Glen.  Yes, Mack had come in and told the secretary that it was time for his mom to come pick him up.  She relayed to me that he was sitting on the chair with some ice.  Oh boy.  So I headed down to get him.  And what did I find when I walked in?  Mack, looking totally content and pain-free, waiting in the chair next to the Front Office lady.  

I signed him out, and just as we were about to leave, his teacher comes running in with his folder and says, "Well Mack, I hope you feel better.  I guess you can just make up your math test this afternoon tomorrow."  

Math test?  I look at him and he says, "Ok!"  And suddenly he was all smiles and happy as we walked through the door.  Had I just been conned?  I believe the answer to that is an affirmative.  

"No mom, it really does hurt.  I can walk fine, but it just keeps beeping."  Beeping?  Yes, I came to discover earlier on that beeping means pulsing.  Which, if you think about it, kind of makes sense.  So the spot was beeping.  I'm sure he pulled a little muscle or something, but the whole scenario killed me.  He got out of taking his math test๐Ÿ˜‚.  Came home and wanted to snuggle on the couch with me.  How can I say no to that?!  He knows how to work the system.  I can tell you that, right now.  One thing is for sure though-- he's going to school and staying at school tomorrow!!!

***Update from yesterday: Mack this morning on the way to school, "I'm so mad at myself."  (Why?). "Because I got us into this mess.  I told you I wanted to go to school and now here we are.  It's all my fault."  (๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚)