Meet Carter and Taylor!!!

As some of you know, my sister Kelsey had her second set of twins a few weeks ago! She updated her blog recently with pics and lots of info! Check it out!!!

http://ourhansenfam.blogspot.com

A House Full of Sickos!!!

For those of you wondering...this is what we have been up to...

Yep...they all have the flu...aren't you jealous!!!

Visit with Donny

So...my brother actually lives close by...well...6 hours away...but for us, that is close!!!

In August we were able to go visit him for the weekend! It was so good to see him! I haven't spent much time with him since he got back from Afghanistan.
Here he is with my dad!
Me and my mom!

Hanging out at Donny's place! He is at DLI again in Monterrey. This time he is learning Japanese! He's awesome! He has his own house this time around - ok...military housing, but he's by himself!!!

He took us to a Samurai exhibit in San Francisco while we were there...it was really cool!

While we were there, my parents celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary!!!

Me and Donny on the morning we took off! We are really trying to take advantage of living "close" to each other! Hopefully once soccer is over we will be able to make more trips to see him. Monterrey is beautiful...I wouldn't mind living there myself!!!
Mom and dad with the kids...they had just brought them back from their 2 1/2 week visit to Texas...they all survived! It was great spending time with family!!!

Kindergarten Field Trip!

Today the Kindergarten classes at Chapman Heights Elementary went to the Pumpkin Patch!

Rylie, Andrea, and Lauren getting ready for a hayride!
Learning how pumpkins are grown, and about all the different types of pumpkins there are!
Rylie loved the baby goats...they were pretty cute!

Lauren, Andrea, Staci, and Rylie...buddies!

Each person got their own pumpkin to take home!

The kids loved playing on the huge haystack!

Me and Rylie!

Mr. Hall's Kindergarten Class!

It was a great field trip!!!

Hanging Out in Downtown Disney

Ok...so here's the thing about growing up an Army Brat...you graduate from High School, move away, and unless you are very lucky, you never see any of your friends again. That is why I'm such a fan of Facebook, Blogs, etc! Over the past year, I have been able to get in touch with tons of my old friends who I haven't seen in FOREVER!!!

A few weeks ago, we were able to hook up with my friend Brian Rideout! It was so good to see him! We look exactly the same as we did in High School...if I do say so myself! (Ha ha ha!) No, actually, we haven't seen each other in probably 15 years...and the best part about it was that we were able to pick right up...like it had only been days, instead of years!
It was really fun introducing him to my family, and hearing all about his! He is currently back east, but we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will get transferred back out here...he is a Marine. I can't wait to meet his wife and kids!

So...we decided to meet in Downtown Disney. What the kids didn't know was that not only were they going to meet one of my friends, but that they were going to get to see their grandparents and cousin Samantha! (My mom and dad were here with Sami for her 6 year old birthday trip to Disneyland!)

I haven't seem Sami in FOREVER! It was so fun to see her! She looks more like my sister Kelsey every time I see her!

Here are my mom and dad in the Lego store...where else! Yes, my mom is in a wheel chair...she said her back hurt, but I think she liked having my dad push her every where!!! (Just kidding mom!)

We had a great night seeing family and friends! Downtown Disney is the best!

Rylie's Adventures in Kindergarten!

Yes...my baby is in Kindergarten!!

Here we are the morning of Kindergarten Orientation. Rylie was so excited!
Her teacher is Mr. Hall. We love him!!! Here she is with her best friend Lauren. They are in the same class.
Every year, the night before the first day of school, I read my kids the book, "The Kissing Hand". In Kindergarten, we also read, "The Night Before Kindergarten"! This was my last night before Kindergarten...the past 5 years have gone by way too fast! It was hard not to cry...ok...I did!
Rylie immediately found her friend Andrea when we got to school...and off they went!

Me and Karolin...don't we look SOOOO sad!

Lauren, Rylie, and Andrea...after their first day of school! So...as you can see...they look like trouble!!! These three have been friends since they were born...literally! So it is fitting that they are all in the same Kindergarten class! Poor Mr. Hall!

I tried to warn him about how spontaneous my daughter can be, but I wasn't prepared for the phone call I got the third week of school from him. Mr. Hall called to tell me that there was good news and bad news. The good news was that Rylie wasn't hitting Lauren in the booty in class...the bad news was that on her way out the door...she slapped him on his!!! It was pretty much one of those, "good game" booty slaps...I could have died! If she wasn't my last child, I probably would have! I was dying inside as I told my daughter that "we don't slap our Kindergarten teacher in the booty"! She understood...and hasn't done it since...well, not to my knowledge anyway!

So, a few weeks ago, she came home and I could have sworn that she had little wispy bangs...if you have seen pictures of her lately, all of her is...well, was, the same length. At first I thought that maybe she just had some new growth I hadn't noticed, or that some of her hair might have broken off...but the closer I looked, I realized IT HAD BEEN CUT! It took me a week to get it out of her, but I finally did! She CUT HER HAIR at school!!! (Yes, the safety scissors that won't cut anything around the house can cut hair!) I asked her why...she said because she decided she wanted to have bangs. I asked her if she at least went in the bathroom and looked in the mirror when she did it...she said, "why would I do that...I did it at my desk"! I asked her where Mr. Hall was...she said they had a substitute that day. Then I asked her what she did with the hair she cut off...she said that she wrapped it in a piece of paper and threw it away!!!

Friday Rylie got a HUGS (Huge Undertakings Great Successes) at the Friday morning assembly! Mr. Hall gave it to her for responsibility! With how crazy she can be, she is a great student. She's a good helper and she loves to learn!
Kindergarten has been a great adventure thus far...and I'm sure there is MUCH MORE to come...if I know my daughter! The most important thing is that Rylie loves school!!!

Update - FINALLY

Ok...it was Mason's Birthday for way too long! Sorry about that!!! We have been so busy...but I will try to be better about blogging!!! I'm going to do a quick catch up...and then hopefully post some other things this week...

So...school has begun!!! Rylie is in Kindergarten this year! We can't believe it!!! However, her adventures thus far deserve a post all of their own...so stay tuned! Parker is in second grade with all of his little buddies and loves his new teacher!!! Mason is in fifth grade and is having a great year so far! Rylie loves that she gets to see her brothers at school! She sees Parker most often...mainly because they are on the same side of the school!
The beginning of school also means the beginning of soccer season!!! All three kids are playing again this year! Parker is playing in the Under 8 division and is on the Strikers! He is a scoring machine!!! I have lost track of how many goals he has scored already!
Mason is playing for a club team this year! He is on the U-11 Yucaipa Athletic. The world of club soccer has been very exciting thus far! His team has transformed over the past two weeks...they are becoming quite the little players...and are very exciting to watch!
Rylie is playing in Under 6 this year. She is one of three girls on the Blazing Hot Rockets, the other two girls being Lauren and Sammi. She has transformed this year!!! She is on fire and has scored an average of 4 goals per game...no lie!

Things at our house have been as busy as ever...but totally worth all of the craziness!