Disney Day 1

California Love

Ally found a praying mantis in our cousins backyard. We are in California visiting them and headed to fun destinations this week. Stay tuned for more fun pics!

Emma having fun in the backyard.

Luke and cousin Ty "tooting" with their hands. They love it, couldn't get enough.

These are the Hansen boys from our 2 families. It is amazing how much they look alike.

Football Firsts

Luke is playing flag football with a bunch of 1st and 2nd graders this year. At first he wasn't quite sure what to do, but he is fast. Probably one of the fastest on the team. But he is also the smallest, by a lot. Needless to say he is targeted a lot as "easy to push over". Usually coach has him on defense so he can hang back and chase the kid who breaks through the line and grab his flag. He is getting better and better at it too.

Last Saturday, while we were at the fair, he made his first touchdown. Here is how it went, so I am told. He was playing quarterback, which was also a first, and he called the play, got the ball and dropped back to hand it off as they had planned. Well the kid wasn't there, Luke saw an opening so he ran for it and went straight down field to the end zone.

No one could catch him and he scored! Then he did it again for the extra point. This was also the first time he has ever touched the ball in a game. The season is short...only 3 more games in 1 more week and and we are done. It has been a great experience for him though and he is really learning the game. Just add it to the list of sports he is quickly becoming good at. He is a Hansen through and through when it comes to natural ability. Heaven knows he didn't get it from me!

I LOVE Picasa

So I just have to give a shout out here to Picasa. It has the most amazing features that I have been wanting in a photo organizing program...if one existed, until recently I was not sure it did. It does the coolest thing. When you label a face in a photo, it will go through ALL (yes all, it is a lengthy process) your photos and use facial recognition to determine where that face shows up in them. Pretty cool and super fun to watch. It is not always right, but it gives you the opportunity to confirm or reject a picture before adding it to a folder. The funniest thing is watching it choose Luke or various cousins when it is looking for Clark. It just proves how strong genetics can be!

I have used Picasa randomly for the past couple years, but not until my friend Shalah posted about this awesome feature did I realize how truly great this program can be. Her post is so informative too! I wish you had access to it, but she has gone private. All I can say is load it on your computer, it is free and it will organize all the randomness into what really matters...PEOPLE! It does a lot more too, but for me this is the deal cincher! I love it and I love finding all my cuteys pics in one place!

Redfish Lake

happy kids

having fun in the sun

building a castle

discovering new life

"playing" in the water

trying to wake up

early morning fishing

beautiful mountain lakes

dancing

watching

singing

reflecting

Smith Family Reunion 2010.

Summer Rewind

Blogging has fallen by the wayside this summer. Although I am not working nearly as much as I was last summer, I have not wanted to spend time in front of the computer when I am home. It is easier to sit here when there are 10 inches of snow on the ground, but when it is warm outside, there is fun to be had!

I am not sure why Ryan has not been blogging this summer. I know you were all expecting him to write, I know I was. I have to admit I miss his funny stories and adventures without me. Lets face it, he has a great way of putting a spin on everyday monotony that I have yet to capture.

Having said that, I wanted to add some pictures that got missed...for posterity's sake.

Clark learned to hate being confined. Carseats, strollers, even jackets and shoes drive him crazy!

This is the girls last day of school. Ally was excited to wear her "Stand Out" competition outfit since dance was finally over.

Luke and his favortie cousin Yogs with their matching T-shirts. Yes, Ryan bought them both.

Me and Birdie.




Emma on the Bounce house slide. My cousin owns a gym and brought this with her to our family picnic in Smithfield. It was a HIT!




Annual family picture in Smithfield, Utah.

Lukes last soccer game.


Clark enjoying the soccer game.

LAGOON!

We went to Lagoon on Wednesday for a fun family day. Our IF cousins and our SLC cousins joined us there for the day. It was cloudy and overcast all day, with even a few sprinkles here and there in the early afternoon...It was perfect weather for an amusement park. It was a "first" for the boys. The last time we went to Lagoon I was pregnant with Luke and the girls were too young to remember it.

Here are some highlights from our fun day!

Our IF cousins and us posing at the beginning of our day.

The first ride of the day...Bulgy the Whale.

Luke "Why did you make us go on a baby ride first?"

Ryan "So Clark could go on one too."

Little did he know, he was two inches short to ride much more than baby rides and it made him sad all day long. Next summer...we hope.

Clark was not sure what to think about the rides. He loved it though because everytime we asked if he wanted to ride he said "yeah" and tried to get out of the stroller.

Ryan getting sick on the Jumping Dragon...basically just spins in a circle really fast.

Wicked is a crazy ride that shoots you straight up..then straight down. No pausing to scream. It is a bit disorienting and freaky...Emma is still in shock in this picture. I went on it twice in a row. Still not sure why I did that.

Hanging out at Lagoon-A-Beach, trying to cool off a little bit. The extra child is Dexter. He is our neighbor/babysitter who loves our kids. After graduation he moved to SLC so he joined us for the day. We miss him so it was fun to have him come to the park with us.

The highlight of Clarks day was riding the train. We loved it!

Luke and his SLC cousin hanging out in the cars. They are silly when they get together.