and now for my final TRICK

National Western Stockshow

2012-02-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

We hit the stock show this year with Jeff, Lindsay, and Chase.

We didn't do the rodeo but we did get to see about a million vendors, eat some junky food, pet the sheep, feed the horses, and watch the cows being groomed.

Pizza + corn dogs + popcorn = super healthy lunch

That corn dog was as big has her head and she ate the WHOLE thing!

After making friends with the animals, we learned most of them were headed off to the chop house.


Tofu for dinner tonight!

The kids really wanted to participate and get into the grooming of the cows.

This was after a Saturday night sleepover H had at Chase's place.

We all keep hassling Holden with the question, "Are you going to marry Chase one day?" Wouldn't they have the cutest kids?

Christmas...a month late

2012-01-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't celebrate a month late, it has just taken me a while to get to the pictures and now i know why, we hardly took any!

We spent a nice 9 days back in Pennsylvania.

We had tons of fun and Everett went into overload and couldn't handle all the people, parties, and commotion. He is used to our small family here in Colorado and he was a bit overwhelmed by everything and had some, well, let's say, issues. He pretty much wanted to be left alone and people weren't permitted to look at him or speak to him on a few occasions. that kid kills me.Check this cutie video of Holden and Blake having fun and Ev freaking out!

Ev really did like the Santa though:)

Why yes, that IS a scary santa that sings in the middle of my mom's living room.

Holden had a ton of fun "taking care of" Blake. He tolerated her...

She also invited herself to sleep over all over town. That girl spent the night at Mimi's,

Grandpa's,

Aunt Kasandra's, and my cousin Danny and Heather's place. She really does get around!

The kids got way too many presents and had way too much fun with all of them!

Everett completely passed out in the middle of my mom's house during our Christmas lunch...35 people...he was next to the buffet....sleeping...for 3 hours!

After we got back form PA up to the mountains we went for some Christmas fun with the Hanou side of the family.

Putting Holden in charge of the camera was a mistake, we have no good photos of Lillian's first Christmas! Severin and Colleen were in town from D.C. and we had some great hang out time with everyone, even though there is next to no snow up there.

The cousins got to share a bath though and it was pretty darn cute!

Everett was just wearing himself out for the entire vacation because he had another pass out in the middle of the house!

I guess the fact that he was sleeping at the drop of a hat means he had fun tiring himself out!
We all had a wonderful time relaxing with family and having Ian to ourselves for 12 days!

And Now a Word From Our Holden...

2012-01-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Just a little dose of what she can do.....watch out American Idol:)

Funny Story

2011-12-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, Ian....

Not sure if these billboards are everywhere, but here in Denver these have been popping up everywhere.

One Saturday afternoon we were cruising along Sheridan Boulevard and Ian shakes his head at the billboard.

I am all, "What?"

Ian says, "I have to go to that website and find out what that is all about."

Forehead furrowed in confusion, I said, "What, Mormonism?"

6 second pause, then I actually see the light bulb go off above his head.

"OOOHHHHHH, Mormon....not Moron."

Jeesh

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-22T07:00:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011 Christmas Card

2011 Family letter

Everett's Party

2011-12-16T07:00:00.001-07:00

The party was last Saturday and after his crying fit when 5 of us sang Happy Birthday to Everett, we were a bit nervous about what a big party would do to him. We tried to keep it as small as possible and I really think it worked, he had a BLAST!

We had a train theme-surprise, surprise. I made a big felt train for the kids to play with, take apart, and put back together.

The goodie bags were in an old suitcase and everyone got a conductor hat and train whistle.

I also got super sappy and printed out about 50 photos of Everett and strung them as banners all over the house (they are still up-he is too cute to take down).

I used Nichole's train puzzle cake cupcake kit and made a cute cake.

The table was covered with black paper and we drew trains with chalk...in between eating of course.

So no singing was allowed and everything went smoothly. Jeeze, Ev is Mr. Sensitive!

We {heart} you buddy!

A 3 Year Old

2011-12-12T18:58:00.005-07:00

"Scoutie my best friend. take our picture, Mommy!"

Not sure how it can be that little man is 3. The blink of an eye and he is a kid. However, he definitely still has some toddler tendencies...and is a BIG mama's boy. Mr. Sensitive really enjoyed his birthday at our family dinner on December 7th.

He really did have a nice day though. At school the kids made him a GIANT heart card with all of their hand prints on it and he proudly hung it on the living room wall. He had an entire bag of pistachios (his FAVE) for a snack, enjoyed a very messy spaghetti dinner (also a fave), and went nuts with his new trains.

This is my absolute favorite photo and it captures him so well.

Thanks for the great photo shoot Nichole and this little gem is also on our Christmas cards this year! Like his long messy hair? Me too! Well guess what, I "accidentally" cut it off:( I was cutting Ian's hair and Ev jumped into the seat and demanded, "cut my hair!" On a whim I did, so not like me, and now I am waiting for it to grow again. I feel like he just doesn't look like him with the short hair.

Dear Everett,

"Ohhhhh Everett," I say that a lot these days. You have endless energy, and are a 3 year old boy to nth degree. You scream, jump, pounce, run, destroy, annihilate, and are a little tornado. You go from elation to despair in seconds when someone moves your train track or you discover your juice cup is empty. Your main mission in life is to torture Holden and make her crazy. But at the end of the day you are really just in love with her.

Photo Credit: Ian Hanou

You are a sensitive, sweet, and unbelievable cuddly and loving boy. You adore being smothered with kisses and give the fiercest hugs and snuggles imaginable. You always say, "come snuggle me, please snuggle me mommy." You sleep with your trains, train tracks, and your Frog and Toad hardback book. You "read" to me every day and will talk for hours. The boy who didn't talk forever is now a verbal machine.

Just lounging on the arm of the couch

"Tine Up"= Time Out

"pasgheti" = spaghetti
"What are we going to DOOOOOO?'
"Chase me!" (197 times each day)
"Get cozy with me."
"blanklet"-blanket

The cutest is- Instead of "I" you always say "my."

"My uv (love) you."

Who wants a treat? "My do!"

"My want pink gum"

Man, I love you kid...you wear me out! But I couldn't possibly love you more...especially now that you are potty trained!

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Fun Fun Fun..and I have so much leftover candy so I couldn't be happier. I am on a total Snickers bar high.

Did you know a York Peppermint Patty is awesome mixed into your coffee?

Check out our little angel!

Heck yeah, we curled that hair, teased it, sprayed it, flat ironed it-pulled out all the stops for a costume birthday party on Saturday morning!

Ev had been requesting to be a buffalo for Halloween, lucky for me he decided a dragon would work. Apparently our summer trip to Montana and all the buffalo sightings are still fresh in his mind. How the heck do I make a buffalo costume anyway?

We carved our pumpkins on Sunday evening. Ev was so not having the muck and mess, but Holden had a blast picking out the guts and separating seeds.

Lillian came over to visit before trick or treating wearing the same outfit Holden wore on her first Halloween!

Anyway, these kids had so much fun! Holden especially is totally into it and dashed as fast as she could from house to house during trick or treat.

Ev decided he did not want to nap that day and we had a rough start, but as soon as he got some sugar in him, he perked right up.

So now, we are fighting every morning at 7:27 about why Kit Kat's are not an appropriate breakfast!

God, I love Halloween

Happy Anniversary

2011-10-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

On October 1, Ian and I celebrated our sixth anniversary.

We spent a long weekend up in Estes Park with the kids my mom and Joe.

We stayed back at Glacier Lodge and had amazing weather to enjoy the whole time (just like our wedding weekend).

We did 2 hikes and the kids had a great time climbing on bridges, throwing rocks and collecting sticks.

The kids had a blast with Mimi.

There was a little playground right behind our cabin. The kids were obsessed with it and Holden is now an expert swinger.

We didn't see or hear as many Elk as we did during our wedding. But we caught photos of a few.

Cuties relaxing after a hike.

There is also a stable attached to the lodge and the kids got to ride ponies all around the lodge grounds.

There was a wedding at Crags Lodge (where we got married) on Saturday night and we crashed it for a minute to look around and reminisce about our special day, and all we have gained and accomplished over the past 6 years. It has been wonderful, fun, crazy, and exciting and we are looking forward to see what the future brings!

Here is the link to all of the weekend's photos

https://picasaweb.google.com/116603015789868629900/2011_10_1?authkey=Gv1sRgCKKi_OfP4JeQ6QE

8 Years Later...

2011-10-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Let's just catch a little recap of the past few weeks.

Ev and Ian went to see Thomas at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Holden was sick, so she and I had to miss and our neighbors ended up using our tickets and tagging along.

Apparently he was a little excited!

This was a month ago and he still tells me every night before bed

Ev-wispering "Mommy, I have tell you something."

Me- "What is it?"

Ev-wispering as loudly as he can

"I"

"Ride"

"Thomas"

"FUN!"

Definitely worth it!

This is what Holden was doing at home

We have serious issues around these parts.

I found a train table at the thrift store for $22! I had it half hanging out of my trunk driving home, but after that Thomas experience, I knew we needed it!

It is solid wood and in great condition. AND, we don't have train tracks perpetually set up in the middle of our family room floor.

xo Kimmie

Just Because

2011-09-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Olympics here we come!

2011-09-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

We hit the jackpot at our neighbors garage sale!

With some help from Daddy,

my little lady is now bike rider.

Her little brother is not super happy to be left on the sidelines with the trike.

We might as well just get him one right now because all he did was wine and yell as we cheered on Holden.

First Day of School 2011

2011-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am all dorky and excited about figuring out how to actually use Picnik to do cool stuff to my pics. So I spent a few minutes making this cool print to commemorate the kids first day of school this year.

They really did love it and Holden is already the star of the show. Somehow her outgoingness (is that a word?) got me onto the auction committee and attending meetings before school even started! She came home and told me, "the teacher said there are some new kids and we should help them and show them around!" Um, der, you ARE the new kid! That girl slays me. She takes after her daddy for sure.

Ev only cried for 5 minutes and then apparently had so much fun he fell asleep eating his PB & J...in the chair....sitting up....head falling back. He was then moved to the bean bag chair in the cozy little library area where he proceeded to sleep for 45 minutes! He was jolly when I showed up to fetch him, so I consider that a good sign.

Now, if only I could pay a little extra for them to finish up this potty training nonsense!

Camping Fun

2011-09-04T15:28:00.002-07:00

Nichole has outdone herself again! She took some amazing photos during our big camping trip! I am just going to let the photos tell the story of a fun weekend shared with our friends.

AHHHH, summer in Colorado just really brings a smile to my face.

Road Trip 2011- Part 4 Big Sky

2011-08-19T05:00:00.001-07:00

So our last bit of adventure on the road trip of 2011 was fun for sure!

On Friday afternoon we headed back to West Yellowstone and visited the Grizzle and Wolf Discovery Center. It was pretty cool.

They train kids (5 and up-much to Holden's dismay) to hide the bears food and then let them into the cages to get sneaky with the bear's dinner.

And they had a play area filled with different types of bear traps

um how much? I need one!

Then we went to the West Yellowstone rodeo, which may be the smallest rodeo in the history of the universe, but it sure didn't matter to the kids! Check this out...

Click HERE to watch the calf scramble

Click HERE to watch Ev being wrangled. He was miserable and crying for the remainder of the rodeo.

" I want go in....I want go in again."
"I want to be cowboy."

We didn't get home till 11 that night and we all slept till 9:30 a.m.

Yes, I said 9:30

All of us

Even Scout

Halleluiah

Everett rolled out of bed declaring, "I chase ONE cow! ONE cow! I chased it!"

I think that was the highlight of his life so far. We had a very laid back day Saturday, waking up late, having a delicious brunch looking out over the mountain, swimming in the pool, and having a great cookout at Big Sky Community Park.

Lyndsey and Pete brought some much needed fresh energy and had slide races with the kids. They also prepared a delicious picnic including s'mores. What a wonderful way to spend out last night in Big Sky!

Sunday morning we packed up and began the journey home. We stopped at Old Faithful on our trip through the park.

It went off, just like they said would, it is Old Faithful and all.

Another few hours south and we were in the heart of Grand Teton National Park.

Of course Ian was having a heart attack over the views, the mountains, the hills, the pebbles.... he is such a little excitable kid!

While H and E were gazing into the lake, Holden decided she simply needed to pee immediately and dropped her skirt!

She forgot she doesn't have the dexterity to pee outside like that on her own...well, without peeing all over herself that is. So, we searched the roof top luggage carrier for a clean skirt and in his haste, Ian locked the car keys in it.

Say what? Don't worry we had another set, however the keys for the luggage carrier were now locked inside the a fore mentioned luggage carrier and we spent about an hour trying to pick (or smash) the lock that night at our hotel.

We weaseled our way in and snagged the keys so all was well. On Monday morning we had an eventful detour through Laramie, Wyoming, which you can read about here.

We rolled into our place around 5 on Monday with close to 3,000 miles under our belts. It was an amazing trip seeing and experiencing new things and spending time with great folks we don't get to see often enough.

The past 10 days of my life

2011-08-18T05:00:00.001-07:00

Click HERE if you want to hear what Ian and I have been listening to for the past 10 days.

Road Trip 2011- Part 3- Big Sky

2011-08-17T05:00:00.013-07:00

The third installment of our road trip adventure brings us to Big Sky where we visited Pete and Lindsey. Lindsey works for the resort and hooked us up with a killer deal at a hotel on the mountain and we kicked back for some luxury. Of course kids being kids, they were not most excited about Yellowstone, Grizzly bears, or a rodeo, no it was the pool.

We hit Yellowstone on Thursday morning and drove to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the amazing Waterfalls there. Holden joined in a Junior ranger program about horns and antlers.

And then we took the short but steep hike down to the Lower Falls.

Whoa, it was amazing!

Once again, Ian was stuck carrying the kids up the super steep trail. If you are counting, that's 80 pounds!

Luckily, we made it out alive.

On the way out of the park we caught a great view of a herd of Bison.

We also stopped off at Beryl Spring.

H was completely freaked out by the super hot steam blowing on us.

Thursday night we had dinner at Pete and Lindsey's place and then hit the free concert down in the meadow. It was our lucky night because it was a Johnny Cash cover band. Holden was an instant groupie.

Ev was pretty impressed as well.

Holden made 3 friends almost instantly and cried her eyes out when we had to leave at 10 p.m.

Ev logged some serious dance time too!

Join in for the fourth and final episode later this week. You don;t want to miss it. There will be a rodeo, the grizzly and wolf wildlife experience, Old Faithful, and Grand Teton National Park.

UPDATE

2011-08-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

I am going to jump to the last 3 hours of our trip for just a moment.

Head over here and find out why I was copmpelled to write to

The Food Network.

Road Trip 2011- Part 2- Missoula

2011-08-15T05:00:00.011-07:00

Back in the car and on our way to Missoula. I think we only had to pull over 4 times in a 3 hour trip to let Everett try to pee. Potty training on a road trip is not much fun. But we brought the little potty and Mr. Man was not too proud to use it on the side of the road in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

Holden used the facilities as well, but preferred fewer photos.

We spent Monday and Tuesday nights with Uncle Tom and had a blast running in his open fields, picking his raspberries and apricots, and rolling around with the dogs.

We took a little hike on Tuesday morning and discovered a new delight, huckleberries. They were ALL over the trail and I wish I had a big bucket to collect them because they were delicious. Kind of like blueberries, but super sweet.

We definitely had a few pit stops to partake in the wild treat.

We also had a pit stop to teach Everett how to pee in the woods. It went smoothly, but later that night, he dropped trou in Toms yard and peed all over himself. I guess we need to practice with aim.

There were tons and tons of butterflies on the hike too. They were almost pesty. like flies swarming around that you had to shoo away.

And in case you were wondering, purple baby is STILL with us everywhere we go and for everything we do.

Ian is a champ for wearing that backpack and carrying our wimpy kids. Ev weighs like 40 pounds!

Tuesday afternoon we went down to the river and had no idea it was really a beach party. With a sandy beach, drinks, and pool toys. So we stripped the kids down and let them go for it.

There was lots of rock throwing and sandcastle building and we could have spent 5 hours there and the kids would have been happy.

Wednesday morning we packed up once again, said farewell to Tom, hit the Redbox for some new movies, and headed down to Big Sky for our last stop on this journey. Join us for part 3 in a few days, won't you?

Road Trip 2011- Part 1-Bozeman

2011-08-12T08:49:00.001-07:00

Off we go......

After our successful road trip to Utah last October, I was very optimistic about this years road trip to Montana. And I was right. Yay! With lots of Dollar Store Toys, new movies, and fun snacks we had an easy and fun trek to Bozeman. Well, except for the fact that Ian didn't stop or wake me up when we hit the Little Bighorn Battelfield! UGH! Let's just say he won't make that mistake again!

We took two days and rolled into Bozeman on Friday evening. We stayed with Jana, Mike, and baby Courtney Sue for the weekend and we all fell in love with that precious little girl! She is freakishly good, mellow, and happy. I think I heard her cry two times in 3 days...seriously....she is really happy. Even with H and E all up in her face 24/7

Saturday morning Ian and Mikey ran a 10K in the Sweet Pea Festival. Ian felt the need to keep up and was seriously hurting later that weekend! Holden and Courtney Sue "ran" in the kids 1 K race later that morning. About halfway through Holden tapped out and Ev took over for her.

Her legs were just TOOOO tired.

Man that girl is soft! Luckily the parade rolled through and both the kids scored bunches of candy.

Which Holden kept safe and snug in her pocket.

After the "race" and parade, we headed over to the Slam fest and the kids had a blast tearing up the playground, creating pebbles from clay, eating some yummy food, and listening to good music.

The next day we spent some time in Mike and Jana's neighborhood walking, playing with and antagonizing their chickens, and searching for bugs.

We logged some pool time and had a great dinner with Mikey's folks, Jan and Jerry. The kids were super excited to break into their raspberry patch and gorge themselves. Holden was so sad to say goodbye to Courtney and she made Jana promise to bring her to visit us in Colorado. I believe she will hold Jana to it too!

On Monday morning we loaded up once again and were off to Missoula to crash with Uncle Tom for a couple of nights. However, along the way we simply HAD to stop in Butte, Montana and partake in their local delicacy, a pasty.

We missed the place Mike recommended and ended up at Gamers Cafe, which was a delight! Totally retro and I loved every bit of that place.

We even got to sit at the old timey counter for our lunch. Holden only fell off the stool once.

A Pasty is a pastry pocket of meat and potatoes covered in gravy. It was scrumptious, but a bit much for lunch!

In the end we were glad we ended up at Gamers because it is the Pasty capitol of the world!

That's all for now, but more adventures to come your way on Monday!!!

Georgetown Loop Railroad

2011-07-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Everett has been getting more and more excited about trains every day. While my dad was in town, we decided to take him for his first train ride.

We drove out I-70 to Silver Plume and found the coolest old timey steam train ever.

The kids were jumping out of their skin with excitement and I could hardly hold Ev back from jumping over the gates to get to the train.

The ride was about an hour and meanders through the woods, over rivers, by waterfalls, and over a very tall bridge.

The kids both spent much of the ride with their heads hanging out the windows enjoying everything.

We had to keep a tight hold on Ev, he kept hanging out the window too far!

Everett was totally wiped out bu the end and was falling asleep, but still had to be hanging out the window.

It was so much fun and I totally recommend it for anyone looking for some touristy activity while in Denver!

Here are all of the pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/2011_7_6?authkey=Gv1sRgCKe526v76MnKiwE

4th of July

2011-07-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

We spent the first part of the weekend camping with Ty, Nichole, Emily, and Troy, but made it home to pick up Grandpa from the airport and see the fireworks!

We were about 50/50 wondering if we would actually make it to dark and the fireworks.

But we went to the Arvada town fireworks at a big city park, it just took a bit of effort to get there.

The kids spent the first hour playing on the great playground.

Holden was on her "soap box" yelling to the world, "Hey people! The fireworks are here, the fireworks are here!"

Then we had lots of snacks and tickling till dark. Luckily, the surrounding neighborhoods had decent fireworks of their own to wet our appetites and hold us over to the big show.

Ev spent most of the show sitting on my back.

I can't believe how good these munchkins did! They held up for the whole thing. We bolted about 5 minutes before the end and watched the finale while walking to our car. We beat the traffic and got the kids to bed by 10:30!

(too bad they woke up at 6 the next morning!)

Father's day Camping Trip...A SUCCESS!!!!

2011-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Our first successful camping trip in three years....and thank goodness because I was almost ready to give up. This was super nice and sleeping was far from perfect with little Ev monster, but it was doable!

We spent lots of time on searches for bugs,

got to do some small hikes,

had some funny face contests,

some screaming contests,

had Jiffy Pop for the first time ever,

took care of important business,

and had an all around good time!

Here is the link to bunches of photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/2011_6_20?authkey=Gv1sRgCIPm_fbvmfmp0wE

More Vaca Pics

2011-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time to wrap up the last of our pictures from our vacation in PA. Here are a couple from some playing in the bay in Virginia.

We also had a great time at the "zoo" while in PA. Calling it a zoo is a stretch, they do have penguins, 2 camels and kangaroos, but mostly there were lots of owls, goats, and turtles, etc. But it was really awesome for the kids and small enough to be manageable for the grownups! Grandpa, Kevin, Kas, Blake, me and the kids had fun exploring.

Holden found some fun posing for photos.

The goats tried to nibble Blake's hand

and Everett's head!

We had a blast visiting my dad's side of the family, my cousins, aunt, uncle, and all of the second cousins.

There are 7 kids now and they had an amazing time playing together.

Everett had fun kicking the soccer ball and rolling down the hill, like 46 times.

Hayden got especially tired and decided to take a nap on the stoned patio.

Holden was barely still enough for me to even snap a photo.

And Blake had fun in mommy's arms!

We had such a nice visit and getaway with my family. The weather was beautiful and no one got sick! Swear....so I consider the trip a success!

Man, I'm Old

2011-06-10T16:19:00.001-07:00

Hit Allentown Brew Works for the Twenty Year Reunion and had a blast! Of course I helped plan it, so I may be partial! I honestly can't believe how good everyone looked. Everyone had so much fun and was so thankful for the hard work the reunion committee put into it. Laura and Linda, still swear they are out for the next one (but Laura said that after the 10, so I am not sure I believe her-haha).

Water Babies

2011-06-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Who knew?

These kids Loved-Loved-Loved the ocean.

Like more than I ever thought possible

They both took some hard beat downs from the waves and came up smiling every time (how unlike themselves).

The running was CONSTANT for 2-3 hours. Even with sandwiches in hand!And the sleeping at night was BIG!

How cute are these guys?

We even had Steve, Amy, and Jenny Corsini drive WAY out of their way to spend an hour with us!

Will someone please teach these children how to smile without looking insane.

We had the most amazing time crashing Joe and Cheri's "honeymoon." Aunt Karen and Uncle John were very generous to share their Virginia beach house with us. We got some close up action with a l-o-n-g snake, a bajillion glowing blue water worms, some mosquitoes, tons of dolphins along the coast, lots of sand crabs, and a distant view of the wild ponies of Chincoteague.

What a lovely little getaway and some special times we will never forget!

Wedding Day

2011-05-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

Cheri and Joe got married!

Woo Hoo

It's about time too!

They did a little ceremony at home last night and then there was a big party.

Low key and so sweet.

Kevin and Pop were the official witnesses.

And mom was on cloud nine!

Fun

2011-05-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

It has been raining off and on for like a week. That NEVER happens here. The other day Holden woke up, saw the rain, and said, "Oh no, now we can't go to school!" She had never gone to school in the rain before, snow and ice yes, but not rain. She is not a fan, but Everett is in love with the rain and splashing in the puddles, no matter how chilly it may be.

And I just had to share two more sweet photos of Lily!

Lillian

2011-05-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

We have a beautiful and healthy little lady with tons of dark hair, and two excited cousins!

Well, excited aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents too!

I'm Getting a Baby

2011-05-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha! Did I get ya?

I am getting a baby niece on MONDAY!!!

Lillian is head up and just so wedged in there she can't seem to flip around. Despite the 37 tricks, exercises, and old wives tales Courtney and Mike have tried to get her to move.

So, a scheduled c-section it is. Sounds like little Holden all over, I wonder if Lily will be as stubborn as Miss H?

This little lady will be entering our world the same day her brothers left it one year ago. It is bittersweet, but will always give her a special connection to the twins Courtney and Mike lost one year ago. Her guardian angels will always be watching over their little sister and protecting her.

Mother's Day will be crazy as these two expectant parents usher in family and friends anxiously awaiting Baby Lillian. Mike's parents along with Grandma and Opa will be here for the celebration and we are planning a big Mother's Day picnic at Mike and Courtney's to celebrate and anticipate their big day on Monday.

We are just twiddling our thumbs and counting the minutes till we all get to meet this precious baby, smother her with love, and spoil her rotten.

In the brilliant words of my son, Everett (the scholar),

"Baby Wee Wee comin soon!"

He can't say the L sound very well so we have

Wee Wee- Lily

Wee-Wee-In- Lillian

We will see you soon angel face:)

Big Day

2011-05-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year is drawing near...(did you hear the sigh?).

Now, we all know I adore my children, I love them to pieces with all I have,

but man, I get about 3 hours a week, while they are in school to do a million things and I am scared of a summer without that time.

Anyway, that's another post for another day. Today is all about how proud I am of my little munchkins. We started the morning at Happy Valley watching Holden's spring performance with her classmates.

We sat outside next to the animals in the sun and breeze and got excited for summer while listening to the amazing talent of a bunch of 4 year olds!

H was felling a little under the weather and sleepy so her performance was peppered with many

coughs and exaggerated yawns!

She was very proud to give me some love and Mother's Day gifts.

We all loaded up and headed to Everett's school for his last day celebration. I didn't realize it would be such a big deal and I was glad to have the camera!

Big sis was happy to help with the replacement of hats!

And the eating of the ice cream sundaes!

Like Ev's 2 handed style. That hand follows the spoon to catch anything that doesn't make it all the way to his mouth. He just shovels the lost pieces in with his dirty little fingers.

We were so glad to have Ian along for the morning to share all this fun and excitement!

Where's The Fire?

2011-05-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we loaded up and headed down to Colorado Springs to spend some time with our old friends. J.T. had a party to celebrate his second birthday and we had a sleepover at Ty and Nichole's.

Emily and Holden had their second sleepover, sleeping in the same room and everything and it took about 3 hours for them to settle and finally fall asleep. The biggest obstacle was apparently Holden's thumb sucking.

Holden: "Emily keeps saying she hears squeaking and she can't sleep.

I can't hear anything though?!?!"

Emily: "It's your thumb! When you suck it it squeaks!"

Those girls.....

Anyway, the next morning we took the crew down to the Blackforest Fire and Rescue to visit Mr. Ty at work. The kids had a blast tearing through the fire station, riding the truck, blowing the horn and flipping the sirens off and on, which I am sure all the neighbors loved.

As usual, Nichole took some very cute pictures and I will let them tell the rest of the story!

Contest

2011-05-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

So I am a finalist in this contest on a Design Blog. And I NEED you, yes YOU to head over and vote for the awesomely cool dresser I redid for Everett's big boy bedroom.

It looks like this, just so you don't accidentally vote for another project

(even if you think it is better than mine). You are MY friend after all!

It Wasn't the ER Exactly.....

2011-04-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

So I will keep the poll on the right open!

Mr. Trouble ran head first into the island in our kitchen. The bottom corner of the counter plunged into the middle of his forehead.

Puncture Wound....

Big and gross.

Off to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care. I may go there next time I need urgent care! It is the same place I took Miss H when she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth and needed IV fluids. It is bright and cheerful with TONS of cool toys and games, DVD in each room with 100 movie choices (We picked Madagascar this time), stickers, freeze pops, and stuffed animals.

Ev was HYSTERICAL when they checked the boo boo, when they put the numbing gel on, when they tied him in a straight jacket, and when they held him down to clean it.

Verdict was, no stitches needed. He will have a scar either way. This kid is going to look like an NHL player by the time he is 5!

Meaningful Art

2011-04-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

I made a fun art piece and posted the whole story at Too Much Time...go check it out!

http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/04/meaningful-art.html

Hippity Hoppity

2011-04-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

AHHHHH Easter was an insanity, fun, and candy filled extravaganza.

Chocolate at 7 AM?

Why not?

When else do we eat jelly beans for breakfast except for Easter morning!

It started on Saturday with the egg dying, it went better than expected and no one spilled dye on themselves, which is a victory in my book!

A little brother/sister time after the egg dying! Love it!

Ev was up bright and early at 5:15, say what? Yes, 5 :15 and he ran right in to wake up H. We all tried to go back to sleep, but no one got very far. They knew what was waiting for them downstairs!

"A chocolate bunny! Just what I always wished for!"

Everyone loves Holden's new sunglasses!

And our favorite little monster was in a very lovey mood for our evening Easter dinner!

xoxo

bad, bad, bad

2011-04-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I feel so guilty for slacking over here. I do love this blog and sharing our funny life with everyone, but man alive, I am into all these projects, gardening, building, and blogging over at Too Much Time.

Just need to share a few things....

1. Tonight after dinner the kids were playing outside while we sat at the table talking and watching them through the open door. All of a sudden Ian screamed super loud and bolted out the door. I turned around and our little baby tree which we planted last year was bent in half. I think Ev was swinging on it. He gave the kids a stern lecture about how we need to treat the baby tree gently, just like a real baby and then get this....

He made them apologize to the tree

Well, it is Earth Day!

Ok, stop giggling, he really did. He really made them say "sorry, tree." I burst into laughter, just waiting for the next step...make them hug the tree, but he didn't go there.

2. Everett may in fact be the devil.

I am convinced he has been put here on Earth to be my sole embarrassment and insanity.

He is still my favorite little guy in the whole world, BUT he has hit the "terrible two's" with a vengeance. He is working it like he wants to go down in history as the terriblest two in the history of the universe.

(like the bruises? Don't even ask)

He is a maniac who, when unleashed (like say from the car, front door, a shopping cart, a classroom) bursts forth like a wild animal who has been held captive for 3 years.

When I say, I can't take him anywhere....I mean

I CAN NOT TAKE HIM ANYWHERE

He yells, screams, runs, pushes, and does not listen to a word I say

not a word

Am I failing? Everyone I cry to assures me he is just a 2 year old boy. Ian's mom was asked to not return to the grocery store after Ian knocked over a display of glass bottles and Severin tore down an entire spaghetti sauce aisle...on the same visit! Ok Ok Ok we haven't had to deal with anything quite that crazy yet, so maybe we are ok over here.

(a BRIEF moment of relaxation with a bowl of Cheerios and Super Why)

Holden is of no help.

(She is feeding him paper mache paste!)

Ian doesn't seem too concerned either....

A phase, right? Please assure me it is a phase. I know Holden gave me a run for my money and I definitely blocked out the worst of it, but I REALLY don't think she was like this.

However, and lucky for Everett, he is still such a sweet cuddly snuggler. He gives me fierce hugs and millions of kisses every day. He is talking up a storm and cracking me up with it. Today he was hugging Holden and telling her, "You are MY chick!" She just let him and it was so sweet.

Oh, I love that kid, but wow, he is a handful!

Happy Birthday, Holden!!!

2011-03-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

How, how, how has four years flown by?

You are a little lady and just yesterday, you were a baby. I am so glad you let me cuddle, squeeze, and kiss you just as much now as you did 4 years ago!

You are so smart...you can write your name, count to 23, and make up elaborate stories forever... You are having pizza and yellow cake with pink icing for your birthday dinner...you use words like hideous, spectacular, and scrumdidleumptious in your everyday vocabulary... you want to be a doctor when you grow up in addition to singing and dancing on t.v....you STILL have purple baby and won't let me paint your thumb sucking thumb with nail polish (ruins the taste I guess)...

Well, I am at a loss for words today, so let's let the pictures tell our beautiful birthday girl's story!

You are a unique, brilliant, silly, sweet, independent, and loving. We couldn't be more proud of our daughter and the little lady you have become!

Now, I have to go on a Tinker hunt...That Tinkerbell has been flitting around here causing trouble all afternoon.....

I know,Mom

2011-03-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

It has been forever since a post....I am neglecting my usual motherly and wifely duties and throwing myself into Too Much Time! Laundry piled up on the floor (at least it's clean), freezer scraps for dinner, and most importantly I have not been posting on THIS oh so important blog.

We had a wonderful visitor last week, Mimi (my mom) came to town! As usual, we were too busy for too many pictures, and most of them are on her camera, but for me the highlight was Mimi and Holden baking cookies for her birthday party....and that one I caught on camera.

I was busy writing blog posts in the loft while those two lovely ladies slaved away in the kitchen. I quietly giggled to myself as I heard the running commentary....

"Yes, Holden you may eat the broken cookie."

"Holden, stop breaking the cookies just so you can eat them."

"Holden, powdered sugar belongs on the baking sheet, not the floor."

"Holden, powdered sugar is difficult to clean up."

"Holden, no throwing powdered sugar at Mimi."

At which point I ran downstairs, because I was missing all the fun! This is this devilish grin I caught!

DISCLAIMER: No guests of the party will be eating the cookies Holden touched. Her fun was kept separate from food anyone else will eat!

Notice the sugar all over her belly?! Hee Hee She IS a cookie monster!

And the big cookie mess!

Our visit was fabulous. It is so fun that the kids are both at ages to actually do fun things and participate in life! We all went to The Denver Childrens Museum and then had a picnic at the park next door, Mimi and Holden went to The Butterfly Pavilion and to see the movie Tangled! Ev hung out and hiked with Daddy, isn't he too cool?

Mom, Holden, and I had a girls morning and "tried" to get our nails done. Holden walked into the salon and announced she wanted purple sparkles and no one was to paint her thumb sucking thumb! However, she sat at a table by herself, while my mom was across the aisle and I was at a pedi chair in the back. Mom sauntered over to see how H was doing and she kept wiping her face with her jacket sleeve.

"Holden, do you want me to help you take off your jacket?"

"No, I just think I have tears in my eyes!"

Wah, wah, wah

She lost it. There was to be no nail painting that day. One of the owners son's was watching cartoons on his laptop and Holden slowly warmed up to him and joined in the Tom and Jerry watching fun. He shared cookies and candy with her and when I told her it was time to go to lunch, she sat down in the middle of the salon floor and declared she did not want to go anywhere! So, it turned out to be fun for her after all.

(No reason, just a cute shot)

On Mimi's last night, Amy came over to sit for us and we all went downtown for dinner at Maggianos (Thanks for the gift card, Frank and Marsha!). As we strolled down the 16th Street Mall I declared, "I am going to eat myself sick tonight!" And I did. I had a complete food hangover and felt like poop at about 11 pm, but it was AWESOME!

I was such a nice visit and we will be so happy to get back to PA for a visit in May ....for my TWENTIETH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!

God!

I am so old...

This and That

2011-03-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

So, I have been totally slacking on this blog because I am working on my NEW blog!

www.kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com

I am so excited about my new project and have vowed to Ian that within 2 months it will be making money. (I actually already won, because I made $2.40 so far with my Google adsense! haha) No, but seriously, it is doing pretty well.

It's a blog about decorating, repurposing, crafts, home and diy projects, and parties. I launched it about 3 weeks ago and up to 7,500 page views and 64 followers. I am in the process of giving free advertising space for one month. Sponsors usually pay between $10-$30 per month depending on the ad size. I just need to build up my followers and reputation and then I can start asking people for money-hee hee. So if any of you know someone who would be interested in a free spot on my site, please have them contact me and we can set it up!

Now, on to family business....Holden is a big wimp.

Friends watched Everett and we took just her skiing on Saturday. She was SO excited. Until we got there, got her dressed, traipsed to the restroom, got undressed, got dressed again, got back to the bunny hill, and this is how she looked.

I always thought badly of those people who made their miserable kids ski and dragged them up the lift, well, that was us. It was a bunch of planning and work to get there, and she was going to ski if we all did it crying.

She took the lift for the first time and it was hysterical to watch Ian try to get her safely seated. She was a complete slug....dead weight. But they were awfully cute while they rode.

Ian used a ski harness, so she didn't careen down the hill.

I am pretty sure he basically held her up the whole way down.

And it didn't hurt when she fell!

I can't be as much help on my snowboard, but I went down with them too!

She did 2 runs and refused another minute of it. So, I took her to the lodge for hot chocolate and pizza while Ian got to do a few laps. Even though it seemed a bit like a disaster, she said she loved it and is so proud of herself.

View all of our ski pics here

https://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/20110306#

On a side note, she told me today she wants to be in a movie. Hmm, after my previous post, you can she where this is a possibility! ha ha

And Everett...

He has a new favorite letter. The letter s is currently overtaking our lives. This boy is an oddball. He yells and shakes and points every time he sees the letter s. When I have a pen, pencil, or crayon in my hand he forces me to repeatedly write the letter s while he laughs and claps at the sheer beauty of it.Sadly, he learned the letter s before Holden.

We are also staging a "mine" intervention. Everything belongs to him. The snakes at the zoo. He guards the viewing window and will not let anyone else look at them while shouting, "mine snake!!!" If he is watching tv and someone says, "oh, what a good show" he throws himself in front of it and says, "mine tv!!!!" When Holden says, "I love you mommy," he pushes her away from me and yells, "mine mommy!!!"

What a fun stage! Ha Ha

My Little Performer

2011-02-18T14:36:00.002-07:00

Holden loves to sing and make up her own songs and dances. Her biggest hit (so far) was

"the moon is out....in the sky....tonight....the moon is out...in the sky...tonight...the moon is out...in the sky...tonight..." ***claps and cheers*** "hey! I'm not finished yet...the moon is out...in the sky...tonight..." you get the idea

This morning she informed me I was to take my coffee and sit on the bench so I could watch her "new"performance. Ev joined me and really added to the comic relief of an already hysterical video. My kids are fab!

Hope you all enjoyed! And I hope Everett forgives me for sharing his nakedness with the world!

Spring Fever

2011-02-17T14:19:00.005-07:00

If you were wondering, this is what it looks like.

We spent an hour before dinner outside in the sunshine (and twilight) playing. After a gloriously warm weekend and the beautiful week we have had, I declared it official....we all have spring fever.

Gramma and Opa were in town last weekend for a nice visit. No big agenda, we all just hung out, ate a lot, and felt for baby kicks!

Oh, and if you were wondering what Holden is hysterical about in the first picture, here ya go

A Major Award

2011-02-03T10:10:00.015-07:00

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!
Swede: Damn, hell, you say won it?
Mr. Parker: Yeah, mind power, Swede; mind power.

I WON AN AWARD!

Someone out there in blogland, who is not related to me, and I do not know personally awarded me

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You My Lily Darling!!!! Steffane deemed me worthy of this award as one of the new blogs she loves to read. How cool is that? She is quirky, silly, and I love how she dresses. Now, she is my new blog to follow too!

The Rules
1. Thank the person who gave me the award and link back to their blog.
2. Share seven interesting things about me.
3. Pass on the award to seven new found blogs.
4. Inform those new blogs of their MAJOR AWARD.

Seven Things About Me
1. I love staying home with my kids, but secretly wished I worked JUST so I had a a reason to wear cute clothes everyday
2. My favorite movie is Overboard...that 80's one with Goldie Hawn ("I don't wanna go to school, the teacher's a big fat tub!")
3. I could eat bacon every day if I let myself
4. I dream of being a chef
5. Man, I wish I had a better camera
6. I want to learn to sew! I have been whining about if for one year, and I plan to do something about it THIS year.
7. "If you ain't dutch, you ain't much"...I am PA Dutch and completely embrace the hickness of it shoefly pie and all!

Seven Amazing Blogs
1. Retropolitan fun decorating inspiration!
2. Lovelies in my Life a diary of all the things she loves-so sweet
3. Life's Sweeter with Chocolate well, it is! She has lots of cute crafty ideas.
4. Johnny in a Dress kids, crafts, and a really sweet family
5. Oh Baby Designs tons of fun ideas to inspire me
6. Junker Newbie hmmmm....the plans and ideas are already running through my mind!
7. Mrs. Happy Homemaker scrumptious recipes, one of which I will be trying out on Sat morning

So it was a lovely Thursday to find such a distinguished honor waiting for me in my in box! I am super duper excited to run and tell all of these amazing bloggers that they have inspired and touched me!

Ski School

2011-01-26T19:37:00.006-07:00

It was supposed to be Holden's first day on the mountain, but Ev decided it would be his too!

What a day! we woke up and got all of our ski gear, snacks, drinks, and extra clothing packed and loaded. Then we got a text from Courtney that the Pass was closed (ugh, we were planning on A-Basin) and the weather and traffic were horrendous (love I-70). We really really really wanted to get to the mountains and Ian had the brilliant idea to check out El Dora. I had never been there, but t he trail map promised a great practice area for learners, and we did not have to go near I-70 so we decided to give it a shot.

Warmed up our coffee, closed the doors, turned the key, and NOTHING. UGH, my car was dead. I JUST got a new battery last month so ...ugh. We decided to take everything out of my car, including those darn car seats (unruly beasts) and packed it all into Ian's car. We jumped my car and drove it to the shop and finally headed to El Dora. It was snowing like a beast and was a bit blustery.

But, we would not be stopped! These kids were going to ski dammit! We got them dressed, got ourselves dressed, and trekked them over to the bunny slope. They were both wailing within 2 minutes, but these kids were going to ski dammit!

Ian broke his back on the "magic carpet."

But those two had a FUN ride down!

Everett was giving me fits while we waited down at the bottom. He was insistent on trying to jump on the "magic carpet" and kept yelling, "me, me!" So we took Off Holden's equipment and got him geared up!

Getting him to the base was fun.

Again, the wild ride up (In pink skis!)

And thrills on the way down!

Warm hugs from mommy!

Then off to the cozy lodge for pizza and fries!

Quote of the Day

Dexter Rutecki: "How do you ski?"

Gaper dude: "Shitty"

... From Aspen Extreme

A-Ha!!!!!

2011-01-23T21:13:00.003-07:00

I knew the sock mystery would reveal itself to me eventually.

On Saturday, Everett woke up from his nap and had made quite a mess of his crib. (Bad diaper, glad Ian is the one who found him!) Anyway, I was taking off the sheets and realized I was also going to have to wash the bumper. PAIN- had to move the crib out from the corner it is so nicely tucked into to wrestle that bumper off. As I was diving behind the crib I found a bounty of socks. Sixteen to be exact. I kid you not, exactly sixteen socks shoved down behind the back of the crib.

I should have seen this coming. That child takes off his socks when he wakes up in the morning and plays with them until we come in to rescue him from his prison. Don't ask me what's so exciting, but he is usually gripping one in each hand as I lift him from the crib. Duh, of course he was going to lose some back there. I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier.

We still have a few stragglers, but I am pleased to report that 13 singletons have been reunited with their partners and it was a happy day.

And The Student Becomes The Master

2011-01-20T08:10:00.008-07:00

We have had a major roll reversal around our house. Holden has evolved (overnight) into a 97% helpful, pleasant, caring, snuggly, agreeable, downright delightful little girl. It is a rarity when she gets scolded or earns a timeout. However, Everett has been observing and learning from big sis and he has successfully entered his "Terrible Two's."

Or should we call it a "difficult" phase. He is very physical, which has been both good and bad. He gives tons of hugs, and kisses, love and squeezes. On the other hand he spends much of his day tackling, jumping, kicking, pushing, hitting, and laying on us. He doesn't know his own strength and I fear for my safety every day (just kidding).

He likes to yell. Like really really loud at inappropriate times. In stores, during dinner, while I'm driving (and I almost crash). He screams as loud and violently as he can. His face turns red and the veins in his neck pop out. I think he likes how it feels or something. Sometimes it's because he is mad, but often times it is when he is happy and he thinks its just a fun thing to do.

He has learned he has an opinion and how to settle for nothing less than exactly what he wants. What and when to eat, drink, and get dressed. When he wants to lay down, he does it, like in the grocery parking lot. When he wants to tackle Holden he will not rest until she is taken down- one way or another, usually with tears and screaming.

"The Destructor" is trying to give me a heart attack. every single pillow and blanket is removed from every couch, chair and bed every morning. I make my bed, he tears everything off of it. Like down to the fitted sheet. Every bed, every day. I HATE making beds. this is ridiculous. Why does every couch cushion need to be on the floor? I have nowhere to sit.

Poor Holden is being so understanding.

She cannot build a block tower, complete a puzzle, read a book, sit under a blanket, or rest her head on a pillow without falling under the wrath of "The Destructor."

I have to say, watching Holden's transformation into a real live person has been a joy. It also gives me hope that one day Everett will join our ranks and become a a"normal" person. He is lucky he is so darn cute!

Pee Pee in the Potty

2011-01-17T18:59:00.001-07:00

Halleluia! We woke up last Saturday morning and Everett felt the need to be naked.

So, Ian decided it was a prime opportunity to push the potty with a bit more gusto than we have so far.

Holden was very excited to participate and rub Everett's back while he pondered the situation.

After just a few minutes and only one juice box he did it!!!!

Hugs and celebrations, screaming and high fives. It was very exciting.

(like the x? Even I won't sell out my son like that.)

We moved the potty party downstairs and Ev continued to use the potty over and over all morning. He and his sister were very pleased with M&M rewards.

Ian caught me in a sentimental moment lamenting the loss of my baby....

Awww heck...I can sell him out just a little, right?

Everett is talking...kinda

2011-01-15T18:43:00.002-07:00

I saw this (above) Friends episode last night and laughed my arse off. It is EXACTLY how Everett tries to repeat words for me.

"Ev, say crocodile."
"cook-a-pee-poo"
"Try again, crock-o-dile."
"druoog- lllll"

"Ev, say movie."
"EEE-oh-vay"

"Ev, say orange juice."
"aaanch"

Currently he adds the hard e sound to most words. For example:
Eee Holden
Eee hide
Eee thirsty

Ian cracks up every time I translate his speech and says, "only his mother would understand that."

Socks

2011-01-15T12:15:00.001-07:00

We've ll experienced the mystery of disappearing socks. A few here and there, eaten by the dryer or the dog. I get it, I accept it as a natural part of life that is completely beyond my control. My friend Nichole decided to only buy exactly the same white socks for her kids to help with the issue. I can't resist cute socks, so that's not an option for me.

Those baby and kid socks are so tiny and I couldn't keep track of them all if it was a my full time gig. However, the joy and satisfaction I feel when I reunite a long lost pair is immeasurable. Rolling those two lonely socks into one tight and complete ball makes me smile every time.

Lately though, this problem has been blown out of control. I was folding laundry this morning, my least favorite job in the entire world, and as usual,Everett had a bunch of loners. He is always the worst. I took the six singles into his room and with hope in my heart went to his pile of lost souls. I really was optimistic that I would find at least a few matches. NONE. Not one. UGH, how annoying.

SIXTEEN

I'm not exaggerating even a little bit. SIXTEEN single Everett socks. Is he trying? Because I know I'm not. I just don't think there is any way to accidentally "misplace" SIXTEEN socks. Maybe he has some weird disease and is eating them and belongs on the TLC show I just saw advertised. "My weird eating secret" or some nonsense. Girls eating soap and hair follicles and the like.

Anyway, my new mission is to uncover Everett's sock mystery. Because something fishy is going on around here and mommy doesn't like to be out of the loop.

The Magic Garden

2011-01-07T08:11:00.005-07:00

On Christmas morning my mom presented me with the best gift ever! As I pulled the dvd from a gift bag I almost cried with happiness. THE MAGIC GARDEN!!!!! My favorite Children's show from my toddlerhood. I mean, I LOVED this show. It was a regional show out of NYC so many of my friends out here in Colorado have no idea what they were missing.

This is completely low budget and kinda trippy. The hippie, guitar playing, pigtail and bell bottom wearing girls are sweet as pie. They sing old classics and original songs while the "chuckle patch" offers up jokes, the magic tree gives surprises every day, Sherlock the pink squirrel causes trouble, and the story box lures us in with disguises to supplement their storytelling.

I had doubts that my hip kids who love Dora, Pixar animation, and the excitement of Cyberchase would go for this simple and sweet entertainment. Holden was hooked in an instant!
This morning, I presented Everett with the HUGE dvd drawer and told him to choose what he would like to watch. I watched his eyes inspect the cover of the now beloved Magic Garden box and secretly hoped he would choose it. While Holden has already declared her devotion to Paula and Carol, Ev has not been as excited to watch the folksy show. But, this morning my dream came true. He grabbed it and said , "this one!" He pointed and poked at it furiously until I got it started. As I sit here typing, he has his nose glued to the tv and is kissing Sherlock the pink squirrel. AWESOME!

A Tale of Two Christmases

2011-01-05T16:44:00.009-07:00

I know, it has been FOREVER since I've posted! We were so busy with the Hanou Christmas, Ev's birthday, our trip to Pennsylvania, Christmas and New Year's....that it is too much to write about everything. Here is the highlight reel....

Frank, Marsha, Great Grandpa, Sev, Colleen, and Uncle Tom all came to Colorado to celebrate an early Christmas. We were too busy having fun and forgot to take many pics. We had pretend Christmas eve at our house on Friday night and Holden enjoyed helping everyone open their presents!

On Sataurday we headed to the Botanic Gardens to enjoy the beautiful lights. It was super cold and super crowded. It was amazing. We even tried the 3-d glasses which turned all of the lights into tiny little snowmen! It was fun for for twenty minutes, then the kids freaked out and it wasn't so fun till we got back to Casey and Rob's for Oma's famous meatballs!

Then on Sunday, we pretended it was Christmas and watched football and ate chili at Courtney and Mike's. Holden was very proud to give Great Grandpa his present.

We TRIED to get a good family pic....

oh well

Since we had the date of our trip to Pennsylvania wrong (it's still up for debate as to who is at fault...) we got to attend Holden's Holiday program. She was front and center, singing so loud, and doing all the movements. Here is a clip for your enjoyment!

Then we headed to PA for another Christmas celebration with my family. We had 11 days to spend with tons of family and lots of my high school friends and their kids. Mostly we were REALLY excited to get our hands on my nephew, Blake.

He is scrumptious!

He is 9 months old now and Holden is completely enamored with him.

Ev was super excited for his new truck from Grandpa!

My Christmas eve cuties in their new Christmas PJ"s

Christmas morning brought lots of fun gifts including a Buzz Lightyear

And the "princess makeup" Holden has been asking Santa for for the last 3 months.

Even though he had a nap, Ev could not handle all of the Christmas excitement.

Here are ALL of the pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/20110101#

Ev's Big Day

2010-12-14T11:07:00.007-07:00

We have had SO much fun celebrating Everett's Birthday. On the 7th we went to petco to visit his favorite kitty friends and to the McDonalds play area where Ev LOVES to play. After his favorite dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, we made muffins and sang.

What a super sweet sissy!

And a super sweet Ev to share his muffin with me!

Then on Saturday we had a camping party with all of our family and friends.

It was difficult to keep Ev off of the treats until our guests arrived.

We had a camera issue and someone (Not me) thought he was recording the singing, but wasn't. So here are the after shots.

Even Santa made an appearance

and left a basket of candy canes and a sweet message for Everett. (Big thanks to Uncle Mike and Aunt Courtney)

The tent in the middle of the dark living room paired with the flashlights was big entertainment!

His mouth was stuffed with chocolate covered pretzels pretty much the whole night!

Everett FINALLY really started talking a few months ago. Some of his cutest phrases:

bappa duce= apple juice
moan=more
pime= climb
pum=come
hontas=Pocahontas (a fave movie)

He will not say yes...ever. Just "mmm hmmm." It is so stinkin cute.

He counted to eight the other night too! Much to our shock and amazement. I haven't heard him count at all before.

At his well check he weighed in at 28 pounds and 3 feet tall. That is the 90% for height and 70% for weight. Who does this kid belong to?

Everett is a whirlwind of excitement, laughter, screams, and roughhousing. He is a total boy and if anyone gets in his way he just runs them over. Everyone we meet says, "Wow, you have your hands full!" Yes, yes I do but boy is it fun!

Happy Birthday, Everett!

2010-12-07T08:05:00.004-07:00

My beautiful, cuddly, smiley baby is now a full on toddler. How fast two years have flown by. I can so vividly remember the day you were born!

After that it gets a little fuzzy in a blur of sleepless nights, feedings, and chasing a 20 month Holden.

You are such a sweet and energetic piece of our family and we wouldn't be complete without you.

You are an angel and we all love you so very much!

The 2010 Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T16:36:00.007-07:00

We kept far away from the mall on Black Friday. We hopped in the car and headed up to Evergreen for our annual Christmas Tree shopping at Lucky Lure. This is our third time getting our tree from them and the experience is awesome. Our kids are still a little too little to trek out into the forrest to cut our own tree (hopefully next year). For the little ones, this is the best place ever. There are tons of trees

a fire for roasting marshmallows

an old fashioned sleigh

and a visit from Santa himself! First we watched Santa from a safe distance

Then I tried to trick the kids into sitting with him (and saving me a trip to the mall)

Everett would not let go of me and Holden hid behind Ian the entire time.

Holden had fun decorating the tree. The star ornaments "make me SO happy!" However, Everett was not into the tree or Ian taunting him with ornaments.

Here is the link to all of the Christmas Tree pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/20101126#

Best Dog Ever

2010-11-25T14:43:00.003-07:00

AAAHHHH Scout! She is so cooperative when Holden dresses her up. Ev hugs her so tightly he turns red and shakes and she just stands there, and takes it. She is quiet as a mouse, doesn't shed, and doesn't complain if/when I forget to feed her (it's only happened a few times... promise). She goes to bed early and sleeps late. We can take her anywhere off leash and she usually listens great and comes when we call. Scout is enriching my kids lives in numerous ways and showing us all unconditional love every day.

Just one more thing for us to be thankful for!

Quote of the Day

"The dog was created specially for children. He is the God of frolic."
-Henry Ward Beecher

Quitter

2010-11-20T15:01:00.003-07:00

I know, I know, I know....

I am weak! I just couldn't do the thrity day challenge. It started with a few cold days and a snowstorm (I did not have appropriate clothes for the weather). Then I went to the gym and, embarrassingly, never changed for the rest of the day. Then I went hiking the next day and never dressed in "real" clothes. The next day I went to the gym in the morning again, and well, you get the idea.

However, I did learn a a few things in the past two weeks...

#1 I have way more clothing than I need and plan to donate about 30% of it.
#2 I will only buy things when I really LOVE them. Not just because they are on sale or kinda cute, etc..
#3 It isn't that hard to NOT spend money on junk I don't need (Well, except when I go on a shopping trip with my sisters and mother-in-law, which never usually happens). When I had an urge to buy something, and I said no, I usually forgot about it fairly quickly and by the next day had no desire for it (Well, except for that beautiful candelabra at the thrift store which will look amazing after my makeover- and I went back for two days after the first spotting).

So, while I did not succeed in my mission, I feel I have come away with a new outlook. SO all is well.

Give Thanks

2010-11-14T09:20:00.006-07:00

I have seen a few of these thankful boards, blessing boards, gratitude trees, etc.

But this one was my favorite, and the one I tried to duplicate.

I found a $2 frame at the thrift store and painted it. made some flowers out of burlap and twine, hot glued the twine across the inside of the frame, and found some free printable cards for us to write our blessings.

I tried to explain to Holden what it means to be thankful. She got it...a little bit. We decided she is thankful for her purple baby.

And of course we are thankful for Opa and Grandma who are visiting this weekend

and taking an old fashioned beating from the kids!