Out with the OLD...In with the NEW!

While many families were ringing in the new year with good food and great company, We were sadly saying goodbye to our company and hello to a new ticket! That's right! Many of you will remember our white Mazda. Well, a few months ago it developed a "hiccup" so to speak, and decided that it would turn completely off any time we pushed on the clutch (unless we kept the A/C and Heater in the permanent OFF position). With two young children in the car, that got to be a problem because the girls were either hypothermic or dehydrated whenever we were driving somewhere. So, we decided to put the old guy to rest and get a new car. We ended up purchasing a Toyota Camry from Kevin's parents back in August and since then the Mazda has been peacefully resting in our parking lot waiting to be sold to a poor, single college student who wouldn't mind a little extra heat and cold.

For reasons unknown to us, the police men around here decided that January 1st would be a great time to punish us for parking our car and they ticketed us. We were confused because we thought as long as it was parked off the street, they couldn't give us a ticket. ALL LIES! Upon calling the police department to contest the ticket, I was told that unless I owned a garage and parked the car in there, they would keep ticketing me until the car was gone. And they did. On January 2nd we got another ticket! Thus, on January 3rd, we spent the whole day trying to get someone to come and tow the car for us. I finally got a hold of the Purple Heart Foundation and they agreed to come and get the car the next day. A promise that they kept, which incidentally kept us from another ticket. THANK GOODNESS!


The tow truck driver was courteous and professional and it only took him about 4 minutes to load the car and take off into the sunset!


As he started pulling away from our home I felt immediate relief that we would no longer have to worry about getting ticketed. But then...


...as our little Mazda turned the corner and started to fade out of my view, I felt a sudden sadness. So many memories are tied to that little white car and the 230,998 miles on its odometer!


The Dell Hanks family will have more memories than me because the car belonged to them long before it belonged to Kevin and I. But in the 5 years that we owned it, we built up quite a collection of our own memories. For starters, it was really the first car I ever drove. I was terrified of driving from day one and my sister Sarah chauffeured me for most of my teenage (and young adult) life. After I got married I HAD to drive and since this was the car we had, I HAD to drive stick! I spent many hours stalling, jack rabbiting, and peeling out at stop lights in this car and I also had multiple mini-heart-attacks, adrenaline rushes, and close calls while I was learning to drive it... and drive in general for that matter!


This car followed us to 9 different homes in two different states, lasted through several long and scary winters, and drove me to and from the hospital twice on my way to have a baby.


It has carried us to many campsites, up several canyons, and through many adventures, including a micro-burst on the freeway, and a very fierce hail storm on our honeymoon!


In the combined hands of Kevin, myself, Jennie, and Dell, our car has traveled across the United states and has rubbed its tires on the roads of Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. In fact, we've logged enough miles now to get us all the way to the moon! We have seen hundreds of incredible and amazing things from its windows including a herd of bison, fighting mountain goats, Mount Rushmore, and nearly ALL the historic church sites!


Indeed, we have also spent many hours fixing little things like a trunk that wouldn't close or doors that wouldn't open.


We've also had to kick the doors open from the inside when they froze shut because the seals leaked, or sit on towels after it rained because the windshield leaked...


But all-in-all, it was a GREAT car that took us to many places, supported our family needs, and blessed us tremendously over the years. It will be missed but as Brooklyn keeps telling me, "Don't worry mommy! Those guys are gonna give our car to someone who doesn't have nothin! Just like grandma shared her car with us!" And when that happens, I'm sure it will take the next guy through just as many adventures as it did for us.

Look what SANTA brought us!

After a lot of pleading to the big man in red, our biggest Christmas wish came true! We were blessed with FAMILY for the holidays!


Grandma and Grandpa Hanks showed up on Wednesday, the 22nd of December, and then the fun began!

Lily was SUPER happy to have her best buddy back. I hardly remember a time when she was not attached to her Grandpa's side.

Grandpa and Grandma both were responsible for teaching Lily how to stick out her tongue, clap her hands, climb up and down the stairs, stand up, and walk...with some assistance during their visit. Lily had Grandpa walking her back and forth for ever, and she would cry every time he tried to end their little game. Let's just say, she had him wrapped VERY tightly around her little finger!


Brooklyn wasn't exactly wanting for attention either. She WORSHIPS her grandma and followed her everywhere she went. She enjoyed art projects, dress up, morning snuggles, games, outings, and cookie making with grandma and loved every minute!


One of the fun things Brooklyn did with grandma Hanks took place after our FABULOUS Christmas Eve dinner with out friends, the Cottons. Grandma and Brooklyn decorated some of the cookies they had made earlier and laid them out for Santa. They also colored a picture for him so he would know how thankful we were for his visit.

Well, Santa DID come and boy did he deliver! The stockings were full, there were fun little toys and books in place of the cookies we had left out, and the presents were out and wrapped with care!

Because we had two extra people in our house for Santa to visit, we experienced the biggest pile of presents we had ever seen before! It was pretty crazy!

Lily actually loved the whole Christmas scene. She sat happily next to grandpa, opening presents, bouncing on the couch, and eating extra wrapping paper. She loved her new toothbrush that Santa brought for her one, giant, front tooth. She also loved her Lady Bug Pillow Pet from Grandma Uda and her adorable penguin hat that Aunt Janna made. (Which she has had SEVERAL complements on so far.) She also enjoyed many other fun presents from her aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, and some of our good friends.

Brooklyn, of course, thought she had died and gone to heaven! Santa brought her almost EVERYTHING she ever wanted, and mom and dad and her extended family took care of the rest. Her favorites included ALL dress-up items: cat and rabbit outfits, a tutu, and a mermaid outfit; as well as her new barbie mermaid, unicorn pillow pet, Tinkerbell bath kit from her cousin Teya and Ponyo DVD.

And to top things off, Grandma and Grandpa Hanks brought this princess castle/tent that the girls LOVE! They have been watching movies, playing tag and hide and seek, and taking naps in it ever since Christmas day!

Grandma and Grandpa even got brave enough to go inside and play for awhile!

Kevin and I also got spoiled, but for some reason, we forgot to take pictures. We did get a shot of Kevin putting on his bike helmet ear warmers that Janna made though. Kevin also got some Martial Arts lessons, a new family blog book, some tools, a remote controlled helicopter, and many fun books and games.

I scored big time with a Cuttlebug (a toy for card makers and scrapbookers), some GREAT books, girly lotions, and a shopping spree to KOHLS!

After all was said and done, we had a VERY big mess to clean up, but it was totally fun because we knew when there was space on our floor again, we would be able to play with our new toys! WOOHOO!

Anyway, we had an INCREDIBLE Christmas and were SO thankful that Grandma and Grandpa made it out to visit! We are also VERY grateful to all our family that remembered us with fun gifts, cards, and phone calls. We love and miss all of you and look forward to the time when we can come out and spend a great big Christmas with everyone! Until then, we wish you all an exciting and prosperous new year!

Fun with Christmas Giving!

As wonderfully fun as it is to get new things for Christmas, I still think I have a little more fun when I get to give a great gift. This year Kevin and I took that a step further and decided to give more home-made gifts! Here are a few of the fun things we were able to make and share with our friends and family:


This snowman was crafted out of 2X4 scraps, an old shirt and some wrapping paper! My friend Liberty Cameron taught me how to make him. We gave it to our good friends the Cotton's to thank them for the FANTASTIC Christmas Eve dinner that they shared with us!


We made this Grandchild Nativity for Kevin's mom for Christmas. Janna's daughter Audrey is the first sheep, Brian's kids Wes and Sydney star as Joseph and Mary, Lily is sheep number two, and Brooklyn tops the piece as the Angel. There is also room to grow on the sides in case Natalie, Sara, or Janna want to help make some wise men and shepherds. :)


Kevin and I crafted this medal hanging plaque (with some more help from Liberty Cameron) for my Marathon running sister and her speedy husband too! It was my first attempt using vinyl and I think it turned out pretty good!


Brooklyn got a mermaid outfit made out of a pajama leg, some extra hula costume material, and an old tank top. This isn't the best picture but she still looks cute in her mermaid clothes!


As a Christmas day project, Kevin's mom helped me to insulate our window seat by adding a padded window seat cover. She, of course, did all the hard stuff, but I actually did sew every stitch by myself. Its been a great addition to our home. We are much warmer in our living room now and we have more comfortable seating for our guests.

Last, but not least, the bunk beds! This was a project we wanted to finish for the girls for Christmas, but without a garage or yard, and with freezing temperatures, it took a little longer than we had hoped. Thanks to our friends the Cotton's, who let us borrow their garage the last few weeks, the beds are finally 100% built and back in my living room waiting to be painted and reassembled. I will post more pictures when it is done. Until then, happy crafting and happy giving!

The December SCOOP... so far!

So far December has been busy, but fun. We've had a lot of time to play indoors since its been FREEZING all month, but that's OK. The girls have enjoyed playing chicken fight with mommy and daddy, following each other around, jumping on our bed, snuggling under blankets and watching movies in the living room, and doing simple little things like helping daddy brush his teeth!


We've also enjoyed short trips out to the mailbox to see if there are any Christmas cards in there. Brooklyn's favorite card so far was a Princess Christmas card sent from Grandma Uda. As you can see from this picture, she was pretty excited to get it!


Earlier in the month Brooklyn and I went on a mommy daughter date to see the movie "Tangled". It was one of the funnest dates I've ever been on and Brooklyn REALLY appreciated the one-on-one time with mommy.

Kevin and I have also spent A LOT of time making Christmas presents and projects this month. Our living room officially looks like a lumber yard, but hopefully it will clear out by Christmas morning!


We got our first snow day earlier in the month as well. Brooklyn sat by the window all day squealing with excitement. She kept saying, "Mommy, its SNOWING! Now CHRISTMAS can come!"

On the Saturday after it snowed, Kevin got Brooklyn all bundled up and they went out to play in the snow together.


Brooklyn had so much fun with her dad that the cold didn't even phase her! She was running around and getting all excited about her footprints, and even managed to white wash her daddy a little!


The highlight of the snow day was the cute little snowman that we all made together. Unfortunately, I didn't make it into any of the pictures since I was working the camera!


We worked really hard on our little snowman, and as you can see, he turned out pretty cute! But not as cute as his little admirer. About a week after we made him, some mean little boy kicked him down. When Brooklyn discovered the crime, she was VERY upset. She started to cry and said, "Mommy! That mean boy melted my snowman!" Poor girl. But don't worry, daddy promised to make her another one when it snows again.


Now for the sad news...followed by some good news. We are all sick, AGAIN! We spent last night moping around the living room with fevers and body aches. The good news? I FINALLY quit my job. There were many things that motivated me to do so, but one of them was that we are ALWAYS getting sick! Hopefully now we won't be bringing home as many bugs. :)

Simple Math and Random Phenomena

People are always asking me how I had two children that look nothing like me. At first I wondered the same thing, but as time has gone by, I've been able to slowly pick out similarities. I now see that my children actually DO look like me. In fact, they not only look like me, but they are JUST LIKE ME! You just have to take a minute to do the math and then you will see it too!



The other day I was feeding Lily when she suddenly pulled this pose with the accompanying face. I couldn't help but laugh!


Lately Brooklyn has been really in to butterflies, angels, fairies, mermaids, princesses, and unicorns! But she isn't all girl. She also LOVES dinosaurs, robots, and aliens! Here is a picture of an alien that she drew for her daddy.


Remember that time I told you about Kevin changing Lily's diaper and getting poo all over the place? Well...the other day, Lily had another explosive poo diaper and I thought I would show Kevin how a REAL pro changes a diaper WITHOUT getting poop all over the house.

I could already tell by the coloring of Lily's shirt that the poo had escaped via bum crack onto her back, so I began by quickly and expertly whipping her pants off to avoid smearing. I then proceeded to wipe her back, belly, bum, and thighs clean from poo smears whilst simultaneously holding her legs and keeping her from crocodile rolling through her diaper.

I finished in no time and she was squeaky clean, as was my carpet and all surrounding areas. I was feeling pretty proud of myself until Brooklyn said, "Hey mom! What is that yucky thing over there?" I looked across the room at the fireplace to discover a stray poo that must have been hiding in Lily's pants when I flung them off of her. Incidentally, I managed to fling the poo as well. MODED! This picture shows where it all began...and where it ended! (If you look closely, you will actually see the poo! I took a picture before bleaching it away!)



Last but not least, Kevin received this email the other day, and I thought it was random enough to make the blog:

Kevin,

I was surfing the Internet at work today and found your blog and found we have something in common. My name is Kevin Hanks and I am a mechanical project engineer and I also have a daughter named Brooklyn. My wife and I have 4 children and live in Piedmont, SD.

I just thought it was a little weird to find someone else with my name who is also an engineer and our daughters have the same name.

Have a good day.

Kevin

Anyway, that about sums up our random happenings as of late. Hope at least one of them made you smile!

Thanksgiving 2010

Once again, we were not able to travel for Thanksgiving this year, so we hosted the holiday by ourselves, for ourselves. We started out the day at 5 am. Kevin and I got out of bed, put the Kalua pig in the crock pot, bundled the girls in 3 layers of clothing, packed our bags, and headed to Naperville to run the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot!


Because we are trying to make the Turkey Trot a family tradition, we went the extra mile to make ourselves look festive. Both the girls wore home-made turkey hats, I borrowed an Indian dress from Becca, and Kevin is really white, so...everyone figured out that he was suppose to be the Pilgrim!

The girls thought their hats were hilarious! They laughed every time they saw each other or their reflections. They weren't the only ones who liked them either, several people ooooooed and awwwwed at them and stopped to make comments or take pictures.

I myself was called Sacajawea several times as well as Pocahontas. One lady even came up to me and said, "Either you're wearing a great Halloween costume or you're a real Indian!" I told her she was right on both, she gave herself a cheer, and then we went on our separate ways.

The race itself went smoothly. It was the first time I'd ever run with a stroller and my arms were sore, but it only slowed me down 2 minutes total. We started dead last (because we were 2 out of 15 strollers in a crowd of 6,100 runners) but managed to pass over 2,000 runners before finishing in 38 minutes and 8 seconds!


When we got home, we watched the movie "The Last Air bender" while the girls napped and Kevin and I started the cooking. Dinner was done and the feast began at 4 pm. We had Kalua pig, wild rice, home-made rolls, devilled eggs, asparagus fried with SPAM, and fresh apple cider!

When we were sufficiently digested, Kevin and I started on desserts. He made a Texas sheet cake, and I made apple crisp. Then we had our neighbors over for desserts and games. It was so much fun but it totally wiped us out. We were more than happy to crash in our beds that night!


The next day, the girls and I went to Kevin's work to decorate his desk for Christmas. After that, we came home and started our own decorations. The girls had a blast setting up the tree, although I think Lily is a little peeved that she can't fully reach it, and Kevin and I had fun finding places for everything else.


The spot in the house that I am the most proud of is our fireplace. I made the wall hanging and the two big stockings a few years ago, and this year I crocheted the other 2 stockings for the girls. Its pretty cool to look at it and know that I made the whole thing!

Anyway, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving even though we desperately missed our families and we are excited to start even more traditions for our upcoming Christmas! Happy holidays everyone!!!