Monday, September 17, 2012

January 2012

 Before we headed back to Laramie (and a lot of stressful stuff waiting there) we got to spend more
time with friends and family.  In these pictures we got to visit with my cute (and prego) good friend Missy and her adorable son and Jack's buddy Abe!  We always love visiting with them!

So after Christmas, Dustin had driven back home to Laramie. We stayed in Utah for another week or so and then Dustin's team and him came back to play UVU.  So we went to that game and then we were able to all drive back home as a family.  Here I am saying one last goodbye to my mom and dad cuz they had come down to the game too.

When we got back to Laramie, Dustin's cousin and his wife came up for a visit, bearing all the gifts that my boys missed receiving at Christmas from all of Dustin's cousins, aunts, and uncles!  My boys got spoiled all over again and it felt like a 2nd Christmas!



Anyway, back to the stress back home.  Here is the story.  We had been renting a cute little two level, one car garage, townhouse....with a rock, weed, and mud yard (not very nice with 2 sons!)  Anyway, in  December we found out that the girl that owned the townhouse was going to be putting it up for sale.  We didn't know how long it would take or anything, but I got nervous that it would be sold out from under us and we would have no where to live. I felt like we really needed to get looking for somewhere else.  I think it was the very next day Dustin looked on Craigslist and said I should check out one that looked like a good deal.  A house with a two car garage, a partially fenced back yard, and a grass front yard.

The house is nearly the same size of the townhouse, just a little smaller square feet, and the same price for rent!  Amazing! That day I emailed the owner, the next day we came and saw it and chatted with her, and two days later we agreed to rent it!  Great decision and thanks be to our Heavenly Father for helping us and blessing us to find an amazing place to rent in a town full of not so nice places to rent! But moving in would take place in January after I got back from Christmas break!  (And smack dab in the middle of Dustin's busiest time at work!)  Needless to say I got home and did a lot of packing, cleaning, and moving by myself. Thank heavens for friends that helped with the boys, cleaning, and moving!  We are loving our new house!

We also loved going to Daddy's basketball games. They actually had a pretty good season with a first year new head coach.  Here are my boys all done up before a game. And yes they are standing in front of a bright green wall.  The owner offered to paint over it, but Dustin and I liked it! Our whole married life we have only lived places with white walls so it is fun to have some color!
My boys and me!  

Now for just a few random, fun pics from the month of January.  Love Jack cheesing, Jack liked drinking out of our fancy new years glasses, Zander playing in one of the many boxes we had around, and Zander being silly at meak tune, 

 Jack sleeping crazy in our bed, pouty and tired Z, painting, handsome twinners, and cute z in sneaks!
Oh the Banana Bread Incident.  I left these too cool on the stove.  I had made them to take around to people who had helped us with our move.  I came in the kitchen to find chunks taken out of both of them.  And Z reaching for more!  Little stinker!  
A few more pics - Jack with a pig nose, Z putting himself in timeout, oops - Jack's crazy sleep pic again, Jack's croc filled with Chewie food thanks to Z, and Z climbing on the counter!  
 Some more cute pics of my cute but very crazy Zanderman!
 My future hoop star practicing it up in his room! :)

Well look at me cruising right along.  We are already to February.  Only 7 months to go to get caught up! :)  Ha!  

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

December....completed. Bring on 2012!!

Hallelujah!  I am finally finishing up blogging 2011! Can you say, BEHIND!! :)  Anyway, here is how we finished the year!  

Christmas morning and all ready for church!  My cute little family!    
Showing off a few of our favorite Christmas gifts:  DVD players for the car, a new sleeping bag, and a remote control helicopter!  
Our family Christmas party this year was after Christmas.  We had a fun time doing the Christmas story, eating yummy food, opening gifts, having a visit from Buddy the Elf, and visiting as a family!  Everyone was together this year and it was awesome.....and crazy with 13 adults and 18 kids!  
Highlights of the Christmas program we did down at my mom's school.  We also enjoyed a little singing and watching Grandma Hansen's video that was played at her funeral.  

Rick being a good sport as Buddy the Elf! :)  
The craziness of everyone in Mom and Dad's living room opening presents!  
My cute mom and Dad.  Bottom pic is showing off the fancy camera we got them for Christmas!





































Crazy family pictures!     
My siblings and I, and then the bottom pic with spouses!  I love this cute, crazy family of mine! And I love this picture of us all!
More family fun - bowling!  
 And of course we had to let my boys experience some Charlies Ice Cream after!

A fun visit to Grandma and Grandpa Belnap's house. We had fun visiting, eating Grandma's delicious spread of food...
 And having Grandpa take us for rides on his 4-wheeler!!
I sure love my  beautiful and amazing Grandparents!  

 Other highlights of Christmas time:  Visit with Grandpa Hansen, dinner with my good pal and amazing friend, Mindy Marie, my mom and I stopped with the boys one night to go through the fun lights in Willard Bay!! :)

 And finally New Years Eve!  We had a fun party at Rick and Stacy's house.  We had a Just Dance contest with brackets and everything! It was awesome to see people in my family shake their groove thang....including my Mom and Dad!!



 And one final picture from 2011! Me with my sisters! I sure love them!  P.S. Lisa is a creeper McCreeperton behind Jack while he tries to enjoy his root beer float! :)

Wahoo! I am finally ready to blog about 2012.....and it is only September 2012! :)

Monday, August 20, 2012

December....Leading up to Christmas!

I LOVE decorating for Christmas and it was fun to let the boys help me this year! These pics just show a few of our decorations!   
This thing was pretty awesome.  Santa spoke with Jack right out of his workshop and talked to him about trying to be nice and get off the naughty list.  Pretty neat.  (I got to put in info before and then got a video that I could watch with Jack!)
My cute boys dressed up to go to a Cowboy Athletic Department Christmas party!  If I actually had done a card, these pics would have been on it! :)  
Love my handsome boys!   
One of my favorite EVER of Z!  
Here they are enjoying Santa, gifts, pinatas, and treats at the fun Athletic Department Christmas party!  
The boys with Santa at the art museum after we walked through and saw all the fancy decorated trees!   
Oh and we can't forget that Zander FINALLY had his FIRST hair cut in December, at age 19 months old!  (He looks scared in this picture, but it actually went really well!)  Dustin didn't let too much come off.  He loves Zander's long, wispy blonde hair! :)  
I made plans to head to Utah for Christmas this year.  Get lots of visiting in, go to the Belnap Christmas party, etc.  Dustin would fly into Salt Lake after a basketball game and join us later for Christmas, then he would drive back after then come back again when the team played this way again....

Anyway, almost everything went according to plan, except for that my beautiful, amazing Grandma Hansen passed away a few days before I made it out to Utah.  It was awful driving to Utah knowing I was going to be there for her funeral, but I would not get to visit her in person.  Her funeral was fun, very nice, and a good celebration of who she was: a beatuful, strong, spunky, sassy, loving, woman.  This picture is of my Grandpa, his kids and their spouses after the funeral.    

I also wanted to put this picture on here. Remember the beauty of my Grandma and a picture depicting the amazing, strong love my Grandparent's had for each other  for over 60 years on this Earth that I am sure will continue for eternity!  

Somewhere in between the viewing and the funeral time, our family was able to get together at Alex's Outback Steakhouse, and she treated everyone to a yummy dinner.  If you can't see what the word's say that Alex is pointing at, it says, Alexandra Hansen, Proprietor.  
It was really fun to be able to attend the Belnap Christmas party this year.  It was a "Polar Express" theme and it was so cute and fun.  Everyone got to wear pajamas, the food was delicious, esp. the hot chocolate, and the activities were fun too!  Z was really good I am sure which is why I am making an awesome expression and pointing at him in one picture!  
My cute Grandma and Grandpa Belnap in their pj's at the party!  
More fun!  
 



The boys at the Idaho State vs. Wyoming basketball game. We got to bring Daddy home for Christmas after this game! :)


I also got to see my good friend and old teammate Chelsy and her cute family at the game! :)  
Another fun night was when I got to get together with a bunch of my old high school pals. We had a little reunion and it was so much fun to see lots of people and get caught up! Too bad this picture was taken after a lot of people had already left!  
A few other random shots.  

 CHRISTMAS EVE!  Sitting out a note and cookies for Santa. Posing in our Christmas pajamas.
 Dustin's family always open's their presents on Christmas Eve, so here we are opening some of the gifts from the Enslinger side of the family!
Our happy family!  

 CHRISTMAS MORNING! Check out the loot!  (And the excited looks on my kids faces!)  Oh wait I have a very excited look too because Mom and Dad Enslinger got me a Kindle Fire!! :)  We always get so, so spoiled!  :)

The rest of December still to come....