Third time's a charm...

There is a good reason why...

I've been too sick/moody/ornery/tired to blog much lately

I've been too sick/moody/ornery/tired to do much of anything

Tums are a part of my daily diet

My running schedule has been placed on a temporary (about 9 months) hold

Even though I am still trying to be active, certain parts of my body are starting to strongly resemble Jiggly Puff

Oh, who are we kidding. I'm not trying to be active!

I can no longer stand eating red meat and the thought of going to my previously favorite lunchtime spot, Costa Vida, makes me queasy

I almost ate an entire bowl of onion cream cheese chip dip... without the chips

Mmmm... onion cream cheese chip dip...

I'm starting to pull out boxes of old clothes with brand labels like "Duo" and "Pea in the Pod"

If I am wearing my normal pants, chances are there's a rubber band where the button ought to be

We've been discussing bigger cars and bedroom changes

Gordon's been telling people, "I'm going to be a BIG BROTHER!"

If you haven't guessed already, we are EXPECTING!

That's right, people, there is going to be a third Hansen child in the world, most likely sometime in October. As mentioned, I've been feeling awful, but am otherwise healthy and doing well. I went to the doctor today and the McFetus seems to be acclimating well to its squishy world and looks right on target. Despite my complaining, which I was trying really hard not to do too much, we're really excited!

We told the boys and Thomas was absolutely darling about it-- he was so excited and cheered and gave me a big hug. Gordon, while we don't think he really gets it, is very careful when he climbs on me, usually telling me that he'll be "gentelly". Thanks, buddy.

Here's my first picture with the little invader...


We'll find out the gender the first week of June, so I'll definitely hold a blog contest for that. Otherwise, I'll try to keep my pregnancy-related posts (see whining) to a minimum. Cheers to gestation. Ha ha!

A Cool New Toy!

This is the history of computers at the Hansen home:

1997-- Elise's dad gives her a computer as a late graduation present. It works really well... for 1997.
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003-- We continue to use Elise's '97 Computer. It starts to work like a computer from 1997.
2003-- The company Elise works for gives her a newer, faster computer!
2005-- Elise no longer works for that company and has to give the newer, faster computer back. We buy a bottom-grade, refurbished Dell for $500. It works about as well as you can expect a bottom-grade, refurbished Dell to work.
later in 2005-- The company Elise works for gives her a newer, faster computer (and a laptop)!
2006-- The company Elise works for calls regarding her company-owned PC. The conversation goes something like this:

IT Guy: "Do you still have that desktop?"
Elise: "Yes, why?"
IT Guy: "Well, we're deleting it from our records."
Elise: "Why?"
IT Guy: "It is too old to be useful to us anymore."
Elise: "So what should I do with it?"
IT Guy: "Whatever you want."

2007-- Elise starts working for another company, gives back the other laptop and gets a new one. We use the old previously-company-owned PC as our home computer
2008-- Elise goes part time, gives back the laptop
later in 2008-- We decide we really need a nice, new computer that WE BUY OURSELVES.... sooooooo....

Saturday, March 29th, 2008... We plugged in our brand new iMAC!! I am in LOVE, people. Love. It is so fast and fun and pretty... I feel smarter and cooler just using it. Ha ha! (But seriously.)

I'm still working on learning all of the ins and outs of a Mac. While it's not difficult, there are a few differences between this and the PCs that I am used to, so I am definitely learning new things.

One of the fun features of the iMac is a thing called "Photobooth". Caitlan, my sister who loves mall photo booths, would dig this feature. It's very fun. Here is a small sampling of the fun we've had so far...








Ah, good times. Special thanks go to my wonderful hubs, Chris, for putting in some long and grueling hours on a freelance project so that he could buy this gift for us (me). He's a good 'un!!

Happy 25th Ann-Michelle!!

Today we celebrate the 1/4 century birthday of my sister, Ann-Michelle! When we were teenagers, if someone would have told me that one day I would consider Ann-M one of my dearest friends, I would have thought they were nuts. We used to fight like crazy, probably because we both have the famous red-haired tempers. But, now that we're "grown-ups", we get along really well and even enjoy hanging out together! Ann-Michelle is awesome at planning events, has a really cute style, and is a great mom to her four little munchkins. She's coming to visit tomorrow, so Chris and I will be able to wish her a Happy Birthday in person. YAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANN-MICHELLE!!!

Oceans 2

I heard this about five minutes ago and it made me laugh:

"GORDON! I had that guitar first! YOU ARE A THIEF!!"

The Long and Winding Road

Sometimes when Gordon says words that have the "r" sound in them, he actually says "l". It's quite cute. Hence, the below picture is a "load made of cars."



I had to post this picture for Becca. Remind you of anyone?

Ahoy, me harties! It's a Pirate Party!

The Sunday before last, while I was deeply engrossed in my weekly Sunday Nap, Chris and the boys watched "Peter Pan" downstairs, and Chris had a clever idea. A couple of sippy cups, broken hangers, blocks, the hot glue gun and a drill later, we had two genuine pirates on our hands (or hooks, I should say). These two pirates would win any pirate battle, as Light Sabers are sure to best steel in any match.

Argh!


Shiver me timbers!


Making their best pirate faces...


Chris was doing a funny dance at the bottom of the stairs and I took this picture... ah, he's a fun one. ;)

Texas?

Sometimes I wish I had a little tape recorder that automatically captured all of the funny things my kids say. They really are entertaining little things!

Gordon has developed an obsession with having a completely clean bedroom before he can go to sleep. This is not a bad thing, except that he has a dual obsession with getting out every single toy he owns during his playtime. He's actually a pretty good helper, but unfortunately, still needs some adult supervision. The other night, while trying to get the boys cleaned up and ready to go for their 8:00 PM bedtime, I was doing my infamous "chop chop!" clapping to speed them along.

"Mom," Thomas whined, "we can't pick up very fast because our hands are very tiny!"

Yesterday, Thomas woke up in the best mood and bounced around the house singing, "Today's the last day! Today's the last day!"

The last day of what? "Winter!"

Sadly, this morning, to Thomas's complete and utter disappointment, there was a little bit of snow on the ground.

"Will there still be snow in April?" he asked me.

"I sure hope not!" I said, though you can't promise that in Logan. Boo.

"Well," said Thomas, "I think we should move to Texas."

A Gordon Burrito!

We haven't forgotten...

A long time ago (I think 1999 or early 2000), Chris had his 10 seconds of fame as part of a commercial for Zions Bank in Salt Lake City. The boys have recently dug up the old VHS tape and love watching it over and over again. I get a huge kick out of the very trustworthy, very YOUNG Chris and his sincere ending line.



Now, wouldn't you trust this guy with your banking needs?! :)

Google Picture Post!

A while ago, Elena did this fun post that I have been meaning to copy. I've been quite sick this week and am just now feeling a little better, even though I still have to carry a box of kleenex around with me. I'm blaming the nursery at church, where I swear Gordon picks up every known disease and brings it home to share. We did keep him home this week in the hopes that we'll all get a chance to heal. I'm considering making him cary his own Purel around his neck.

Anyhoo, today it was back to work for me, and even though I'm still sniffly, it was nice to give my blue snowflake jammies a break.

So, on to the post! Here are the rules: You have to answer the questions with a Google image search. NO using your own pictures. Even on the picture of you. Let's see what happens.

Favorite Color:

I actually don't have a favorite color, I like so many of them. I actually can't think of a color I don't like in one context or another. But, lately I've been drawn to a lot of chocolate browns and orange. And black is a timeless (and slimming!) stand-by.

Favorite Animal:

Hammy. He's so funny and HE's A CARTOON!!! It's not that I don't like animals-- I do. In fact, Chris will tell you that I am constantly mentioning reasons why a dog would be a good thing for our family. I don't like cleaning up after messy animals, though, and I don't like smelly ones, or animals that scratch, bite, excessively sniff, lick, or make noise. So far, a cartoon animal seems to be my best bet.

Side Note: Right now my kids are watching "Over the Hedge", and I have to say that Thomas Hayden Church has one of the most hilarious voices ever.

Bad Habit:

Biting my nails. Although, I have to say, right now they are looking awesome. See, some bad habits can be worked on!

Favorite Food:



Can you pick just one? Yeah, neither can I. But I'll tell you what sounds good right now: tempura vegetables, Cracker Jacks, and maybe some cornbread.

Favorite Hobby:
You know this one...


Place I live:


Favorite Song:


My job:


Favorite Author:

I ♥ Elizabeth Berg!

Favorite Dessert:
Seriously, people, just one? Hardy har har... I've never been a one dessert kinda gal. I'll narrow it down to two:

Creme Brulee


Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

YUM. The first person to get me one of these desserts wins!

Picture of ME:
This is Elise Konstantin-Hansen, circa 1893...


I haven't tagged anyone in a good while, but my Mother hasn't blogged in a good while either, so this one's for her. Oh, and Caitlan, because she is a lover of all things Tag. You're it, ladies! This is a fun one, so if you feel inclined, consider yourself tagged!

Audrey is SEVEN today!

Hooray! Today is my sweet niece Audrey's 7th birthday! One of my favorite things about Audrey is her creativity. This little girl is going to be a famous author and/or illustrator someday-- her stories and illustrations are amazing, especially for someone so young! I love it when her mom shares some of the great art and books she creates. I know I often refer to my boys as geniuses (because they are), but Audrey is a down right prodigy! We love her spunky personality and her sweet smile. Happy Birthday, Audge!!

TV Anyone?

Gordon took a 10 minute nap on the way home from Tom's school today, so it has been a tear-your-hair-out kind of day with him. Tom seems to follow Gord's attitude, and the two of them have been tormenting each other (and me!) all evening. It's finally late enough to put them in bed and I am exhausted. So, in addition to contemplating making a batch of brownies, I'm planning to spend the rest of my evening in front of the tube. Since that's where I'll be, I thought I'd share some TV stuff with you. :)

I think when you are in high school, Saturday Night Live is the best show on TV. I remember nights staying up late to watch Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and thinking that nothing in the world could possibly be funnier than Tunces the Driving Cat. Then it seemed like SNL got really stupid and lame, and then all of the sudden, it's funny again. I am loving the cast right now, but what I love even more is watching it with Chris, who sometimes laughs so hard that he has to stand up in order to breathe. I love it. Some of the skits aren't that funny, but we haven't been disappointed with the "Digital Shorts". Here's the one that had Chris standing up, holding his stomach on Saturday night:



Can someone please reassure me that the tight, high-waisted pants that so many American Idol girls are wearing, are just for 80's night and not coming into fashion? They are NOT flattering, and I cannot imagine even trying to squeeze my curvy hips into a pair. Ugh. Why am I watching AI again? I still don't know, and yet, here I am. Because I'm tired. Ugh again.

Welcome to March

As you can see, I decided to go with a mostly green theme for the blog. This is actually a decent (but prettier) representation of the color scheme in Logan right now. Everything is starting to melt (hooray!!), but I definitely wouldn't say that anything is bright green. The brown seems to work. So, look to April for a full blown Spring theme! Maybe I'll even do it in time for Easter weekend, though I'm not making any promises.

So, what have we been up to lately? Well, we spent a lovely quiet weekend at home, during which I accomplished very little. I did manage to go grocery shopping by myself, which is always a difficult thing to schedule. I am not a big fan of the grocery store, but I braved the crowds and the snow (boo, but just a little), and went. My family is happy that we now have food in our house! Chris also took Thomas to his second-to-last basketball game and made a trip to the thrift store with a load of our donations. It always feels good to get rid of stuff.

Also on Saturday, I made it official: we are definitely going to Panama for Spring Break! Not that I didn't think it was going to happen, but now that we've actually purchased our tickets, it seems a lot more real. We'll be meeting my grandparents in Bocas del Toro, islands off the Eastern coast of Panama. I'm excited for sunshine, ocean water, and the chance to use our snorkel gear again!

The boys have been little sillies lately. I may have mentioned this before, but Thomas has been "in love" with the same little girl since kindergarten. I'm not sure what it is that he is so crazy about, but he is quite consistent. The other day, I found a note that he had written to her:

To: Molly
From: Thomas

I love you and I want you to be my friend. I know I am a BOY! But please be my friend.

Mark down Yes or No

Say YES! Say Yes! SAY YES!!!

And yes, he really did put three excalamation points after the last 'say yes'-- he takes after his mother.

Today he brought home his school's little newspaper and Molly's picture and a quote were in one of the sections (What is your favorite word? Her answer "Molly!") Thomas said, "I am going to keep looking at this picture for a really, really long time. Maybe forever." Ah, (really) young love.

Gordon is busy just being his little rambunctious self. Tonight while we were saying bedtime prayers, Gord was horsing around and ended up head-butting me. It hurt so bad! I yelped in pain and was apparently convincing enough to bring both boys to full-blown tears in concern for me. It was sad, but also sweet to know how much they care about me. Gordon was especially upset, maybe feeling a little remorse for causing the pain in the first place. Little stink bug! Afterward, Thomas prayed that my head would get better soon. And it has.

Finally, on Sunday morning, the boys woke up at their usual hour, while Chris and I preferred to stay in bed for a while (blessed be 11:00 church!). Fortunately, the boys played very nicely together and were so excited to show us their little project when we got up. They are really into making different scenerios with their cars lately-- parking lots, traffic jams, really long and windy "choo-choo trains". This time, they sorted them by size, color, and other characteristics, then named their groups. Tom insisted that not only do I take a video of the occasion, but that it also be placed on the blog. Hilarious.



This kind of activity denotes mathematical genius, right?