Bullet-in-the-Dryer

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T11:30:00.004-05:00

What a year is has been! The highlight of the year was having everyone together for Christmas -- Thank you Santa Claus!!

Luci's 7th Birthday Disney World Adventure

2009-12-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

On the morning of Luci's 7th birthday, we woke her up with the news that she was having a non-traditional birthday. Instead of going to school and having a family/friends birthday party in the evening, she would be flying down to Orlando, Florida for a five-day birthday extravanza at Disney World!!! It was fun for mom, dad, and Lola as well!

Mackenzie home from Malawi!!!

2009-08-03T12:03:00.001-04:00

Soooo great to have her home safe and sound. Sadly, she did not take a camera with her, so we do not have pictures of elephants, beautiful Malawian children, nor "mouse on a stick." If you have Mackenzie as a friend on Facebook, maybe you can catch some there!

Nice corn rows Kenzie!!

Memorial Day camping with the Han Family at Pohick Bay

2009-05-23T20:52:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful location, delicous meals were prepared and devoured and fun was had by all!

Grandpa Papito comes to town!!

2009-05-21T12:42:00.004-04:00

Grandpa Don aka Papito, came to visit in late May before Scott took off to the sandbox and Kenzie to Malawi. Baby Lola loves her grandpa!

Scott also made Grandpa take out the Chapman's canoe on it's maiden voyage down Goose Creek ( . . . a 3 hour tour . . a 3 hour tour . . .). Scott and Grandpa ended up going into the water on at least 3 separate occasions going over some rapids, and Grandpa ended up with 2 broken toes (we only had flimsy sandals to offer him for the journey) OUCH!

Cherry Blossoms and Sherry Blossoms

2009-04-12T11:03:00.006-04:00

Sherry came to visit the clan for 48 hours. The highlight was our trip to the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC to celebrate the last few days of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Just walking and enjoying the beautiful day and listening to great Bubble- Gum Rock Music at the Jefferson Memorial.

Easter Egg Hunt at Ida Lee park (Leesburg, VA)

2009-04-04T13:17:00.000-04:00

Luci and Malloy (long-time neighborhood friend) enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt at Ida Lee park the Saturday before the Saturday before Easter Sunday . . .

Luci and Malloy also enjoyed some of the other "fun bounce" festivities. Mom, Dad, and baby Lola enjoyed just being outside on a nice sunny warm day after some nasty winter weather!

Christmas Nativity . . .

2008-12-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

It has been wonderful to have all the kids here and be one big undivided family for the first time in the last seven years!! We've really tried to take advantage of this special Christmas, including this Nativity Program we created as part of our Christmas Eve festivities (Thanks Kenz for putting it all together, and thanks Stin for making it happen!)
Lola: Baby Jesus
Luci: Mary
Anders:Joseph
Tate: Angel
Kenz: Narrator
Stin: Shepherdess
Scott: Wise Man (although everyone really wanted him to be the "donkey")

Han's Advent Round Two

2008-12-22T23:01:00.000-05:00

This was our last of the Four Sundays (we only we able to get together for the 2nd and 4th Sundays) and we celebrated the Theme of "Love" and, of course, continued with more Puppet Antics . . .

Christmas Caroling . . .

2008-12-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

As part of our Christmas traditions, we will bake some treats, and then take them over to a few neighbors, presenting our snax as a family at each neighbor's doorstep while singing Christmas Carols. I'm not sure what's more fun - us actually baking and then caroling to our neighbors, or to see the look on their faces when they see all seven of us at the door and wondering . . . what the!!?? Here are a few photos of the baking of the treats (Stin even make Caramels!) and the look on Lola's face after we got back (it was a FRIGID night!!)

Santa Claus Wishing . . .

2008-12-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

Luci, Kenz, Lola, and Patrick all had the opportunity to make their wishes known to Papa Noel . . .

Gingerbread Christmas Choo-choo train

2008-12-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

Stin made sure we added many new wonderful Christmas traditions while Scott was away protecting the homeland . . . .this is one of them:

Han's Advent

2008-12-07T22:34:00.000-05:00

Our most precious friends from the Belmont Ridge Ward -- the Han Family -- included us in one of their Christmas traditions -- The Advent. This included the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Each Sunday leading up to Christmas is focused on four themes: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Each included readings, hymns, stories, and lighting of a candle representing each of the four themes. Along with the previously mentioned activities, puppet shows were introduced which led to great amusement and mayhem! This new tradition added greatly to our present and hopefully future Christmas festivities . . . Love you Hans!

Luci's Spy-Theme Birthday Party

2008-12-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

Luci celebrated her much anticipated 6th Birthday party with a Spy Theme and a few of her friends from school. Activities included fingerprinting, handcuffing (in anticipation of extraterritorial rendition), "Detect the Mole," Pizza feasting, obtaining Junior Special Agent credentials, defusing (or consuming, as the case may be) the Bomb (cake), special (black frosting) moustache disguise techniques, and a spy scavenger hunt, among other things (the rest is Classified!).

Virginia Chapter of the Cookie Lover's Club . . .

2008-12-03T13:28:00.000-05:00

Nana Judy instigated a wonderful new tradition with the founding of the Cookie Lover's Club - a way for the generations to connect through the wonders of making, baking, and (of course) partaking of amazing cookie recipes. Luci was the recipient of this special intro package from Nana Judy to get the Virginia Chapter of the club established. Although, we all know that Tate and Kenz are the true mayordomo's of the club at this point!!! Yum, yum, yum!

The Lights on Temple Square . . .

2008-11-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

Truly a highlight of our trip out West was our visit to The Lights on Temple Square, just a short walk from Margy/Ray's place. This little visit definitely got us all in the Christmas Spirit!! We even got a surprise visit from Nana Judy!

Thanksgiving with Grandma Margy and Grandpa Ray

2008-11-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

We had such a great time with Grandma Margy and Grandpa Ray!

Gateway shopping, SLC

2008-11-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

Part of our trip to Salt Lake included a little shopping excursion to the Gateway shopping center. Just had to grab a picture with the little shop called LolaBella for obvious reasons!!!

New Family Pictures . . .

2008-11-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

Part of our special trip out to Utah during Thanksgiving included a crazy excursion down to Utah County to get some family pictures taken while we still have Mackenzie but including Lola. We thought we would take advantage of the incredible value offered by http://peekaboophotos.com/ . They totally went the second mile for us and we got some amazing photos, some of which are posted here.

Uncle Travis and Cousin Bella come to visit!!

2008-11-22T14:45:00.000-05:00

We had a great time visiting with our favorite Peeps, including visits to Harpers Ferry,WV; getting lost in Loudoun County VA, playing banister ball, watching the lame BYU vs. UofU football game, and just having a grand ole time!

Stin's Birthday Rap

2008-11-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

My birthday present to Stin this year. I secretly want to have a double life as a rapper, so send me money and report me to American Idol.

MP3 File

The Hills are alive . . . . with the Sound of Music . . .

2008-11-09T18:11:00.000-05:00

Right. So Tate and Mackenzie decided they would try out for the local (yet highly competitive!) production of The Sound of Music. They've been attending play practice for several months now and we all went to see them perform last night. Way to go girls!!

HersheyPark Adventures . . .

2008-11-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

Uncle Matty, aka Dr. Matthew T. Andersen, came to visit (with his friend Mary Ann) our clan for Halloween this year and we ended up spending the Saturday after Halloween up at HersheyPark. We all had fun, but realized that having a 3-month-old isn't the most conducive to amusement park bliss! Here are some fun photos memorializing the outing:

HALLOW'S EVE 2008

2008-11-01T17:43:00.000-04:00

So, Uncle Matty, Stin's hermano, and his friend Mary Ann, came to town for Halloween this year. Matt dressed up as the best Jolly Green Giant I've ever seen, or likely ever will see in this lifetime!! Scott was his own special version of the comic book hero Green Lantern, Stin was a Disco Diva, and Mary Ann was a Pretty Fairy Princess. We all went out dancing at a sweet club with great DJ's in DC, where everyone else was also dressed up and we had a REALLY fun time. Thanks Matty for twisting our arms and convincing us to go!

Pre Hallow's Eve

2008-11-01T05:59:00.000-04:00

Stin's costume ("I Make Milk, What's YOUR Superpower?") SuperHero, Luci's Lava Girl (from the famous film "Shark Boy and Lava Girl), Anders' Superman, Tate's Nerdy Gerdy, and Lola Love Flower Baby-- all were fantastic this year. Pictures taken at our Ward (local congregation) Halloween Party.

Mackenzie got a "34"!!!

2008-10-09T16:24:00.000-04:00

Mackenzie achieved a score of 34 on the ACT in late September. This now qualifies her for applying for the ultimate goal of being a Thomas S. Monson BYU scholarship recipient: http://saas.byu.edu/depts/scholarships/Hinckley/index.aspx.

At the moment, since we're singing her praises, Kenzie also graduated from high school a year early with a 4.25 GPA and multiple "5"s on 4 AP tests in various subjects, including BC Calculus. Yeah, she's a smarty pants!

She now is taking a "transition" year and is homeschooling her sister Tate, nannying part-time, and tutoring several students in Math and test prep. With the money she earns, she is planning a new adventure to Malawi ( http://www.worldcampforkids.org/thehighschoolprogram.htm ) where she will be teaching teenagers HIV/AIDS awareness, English, and principles of basic hygiene . . . She will be putting up a website soon to tell you more about it and ask for donations to fund her trip . .

Congratulations Kenz-O!!! We love you and are so proud of you!!!!

Anders' first Priesthood Conference. . . .

2008-10-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

The day that his Dad-Scott had been waiting for finally arrived. Anders, having previously turned twelve and received the Aaronic Priesthood, was ready and willing to attend the evening Priesthood Session of General Conference transmitted via satellite from Salt Lake City to the Ashburn Stake Center. It was a great night to always be remembered!

Winds, and Waves, and Portuguese Man-of-War's, Oh My!!

2008-09-28T19:40:00.000-04:00

The Donald C. Hansen OBX reunion has come and gone. Some highlights were some great games (3-13, Settlers), classic hottubbing, trips to the Teet, discovering first-hand what a Portuguese Man-of-War is, Lola blessing, family picture taking mayhem, and some classic fun-in-the-sun on the last two days . . .

Hopefully this won't be last time but the beginning of a new tradition!

Luci loses her first tooth (and there's a pretty big one coming in behind it!)

2008-08-30T09:57:00.001-04:00

Stin's big teeth and my small head came together in Luci with her new tooth. It will be interesting to see what orthodontic adventures this combo leads to!

She's been working at this tooth - wiggling and jiggling for quite some time now (about 3 weeks). This morning, August 30, it finally popped out and we'll have to wait and see what the Tooth Fairy decides provide in exchange for this pearly white bicuspid.

Scott turns 35!

2008-08-30T09:25:00.001-04:00

I don't feel 35. OK, yes I do; I have 5 kids, a pretty serious job, and as I'm preparing to run a half marathon, I'm FEELING IT!! For breakfast my wife made me a delicious, nutritious shake consisting of: Organic: Kale, carrots, celery, yellow bell pepper, beets, banana, blueberries, squash, and bean sprouts, along with some ice and Kefir. Yum diddlyumptious. Oh, and a Soy/Bran/Chocolate cupcake. Hurray! (I guess she wants me to live a long, healthy, and colon cancer free life!) Thanks baby!! Last night we had a great party with the Getz, the Grants, and the Qureshis. First we went to Don Corleone Pizza in Sterling, VA, and then over to the Perils of the Lost Jungle mini golf in Reston. It was AWWWSUM!!

Tate turns 14!!

2008-08-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that our little Tatiana has turned 14. She's a lady. Wow! Tate had a big fiesta with some friends and family on Wednesday, the 20th, and on the morning of her birthday, the 23rd, she got a special pancake breakfast. The picture illustrates her enthusiasm at being treated so exquisitely on her special day!

Sherry and the Eyres come to visit from NYC!!!

2008-08-23T03:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we were lucky enough to host Sherry Lynn Ellsworth and the Eyre Clan from Manhattan (including the new baby, Lyla Joy Eyre). Yeah, we felt like serious copy cats when Lola was born just a few short weeks later and we named her Lola Jane Hansen!! oops. But there doesn't seem to be too much animosity and the two little ladies got along just fine. I can just seem them hanging some time in the future -- "Hi, I'm Lyla Joy . . . and I'm Lola Jane!" ha ha ha. It was great having Sherry back again after a long hiatus and the Eyres are the coolest most laid back peeps on earth! Love you guys!

Lyla and Lola

2008-08-23T00:30:00.000-04:00

Lyla and Lola finally met this weekend and this is just the beginning many, many adventures to come! We love you LJ x 2!

Quick trip to Toronto.

2008-08-22T09:13:00.000-04:00

Scott took a quick business trip up to Toronto for 48 hours. What a cool city. It was the smallest feeling big city he's ever visited and incredibly ethnically diverse! I visited the CN Tower, the highest structure in North America, ate Mangosteen, ate some delicious Tacos al Pastor and Corn Fungus Quesadilla (Huitlacoche) and basically tried to squeeze as much "pleasure" as possible out of a "business" trip. Canada rocks, eh!

Grandma Margy comes to visit!

2008-08-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Scott missed out on most of the Margy fun time because he was in Canada, but everybody else got spoiled and pampered with fun outings and yummy super healthy organic veggie shakes! Hopefully grandma will come back soon and share more of her macrobiotic culinary secrets and help set up the new trampoline that's on it's way in the mail!!!

Lola at just over two weeks old . . .

2008-08-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Lola keeps getting bigger and bigger and more aware of her surroundings. Much to the pleasure and relief of her parents, she is also sleeping better at night. These pictures were taken August 6, 2007.

The Luci/Lola rules . . .

2008-07-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

(unsolicited rules that Luci shared with her parents this morning regarding her interaction with Lola):

No throwing Lola into the TV console
No crushing her skull
no pulling her hair
no poking her eyes out
If you really want to hit Lola, just do it like this (hand motion, very soft light pat on the head)
No pinching anywhere
No pulling hair off her skin
No attacking Lola
No waking her up
no putting weight on her (laying on her)
no making her carry heavy weight
no pushing her off from high things

We're so glad to have these ground rules in place. We'll all sleep much better now!

Lola has arrived!!

2008-07-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Hurray!!! Lola Jane Hansen arrived earlier this evening (approx. 5:00 PM EST) after many hours of sporadic labor over a 24 hour period!! But she's as cute as can be and both her and mom are healthy, resting, and recuperating very well! I will include a few photos as well. ENJOY!!

The Red, White and the Blue!

2008-07-03T15:24:00.000-04:00

I thought this would make an appropriate first posting for the Hansen/Peterson family blog . . . the creation of which I have resisted for quite some time. After a quick 2-week trip to the SandBox or Emerald City as some have called it, I am more appreciative than ever of this wonderful place I call home: the United States of America!!! And wouldn't you know it, it's the day before the 4th of July.

Hopefully this little blog will be an important way for us to keep an ongoing family history, if you will, so that's good reason enough in and of itself. Thanks to our many friends and family members who have inspired us with their blogs: (Sherry, the Eyres, Harris Fam, etc.)

The name of the blog itself came as sort of an epiphany the other night when I was chatting with Stin, reviewing the events of the day, and a certain occurrence provided the impetus for the title. For reference purposes, those that are really bored out there may want to peruse the following link:

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9741919888/m/6811966829

So there you go. More updates are forthcoming I just had to "break the ice" with this first post. More pics, updates, and stories to come!