Call Home!

We had a great time having Emily and Elizabeth with us for 10 days this month while the rest of the Hokansons went to Beliz! The girls loved every minute of it. When I told Emily that it was the last night and she and Kyra could sleep in the tent together, she said "But, my mom told me we would sleep here for a looooong time!" :) We went to the park almost every day because the weather was so nice. Irene went with me a couple times and Afton even made it over once before the girls got so sick! I made the kids green oatmeal on St. Patrick's Day--Mark didn't enjoy eating it (but he did) and Darci wouldn't go anywhere near it! I got all five kids to church clean, happy and ON TIME (thank you very much). Irene helped watch everyone while I had a cavity filled at the dentist and while I helped with a service project in our ward. I also had a great night with a bunch of my neighbors one night as we karaokied (I know, I know) to the songs from Mama Mia--it was totally fun rockin' out with a bunch of girls. This past week we've had blizzards and ice cold weather--you gotta love Spring! Kyra and Mark both gave talks in primary and both did great jobs. I got to take Mark with me to the Draper Temple dedication--that was pretty special. I actually went running twice last week and kind of liked it, so I told one of my friends that I'd try running with her in the mornings! I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into, but I have a feeling I'm going to find out as soon as it warms up a bit again. We actually have a small group of girls that want to run together now, so it should be fun. Irene has a workout for me and Rachel as soon as it warms up too. With all these great influences around me, it should be a piece of cake to drop some lbs! I had my friends over for scrapbooking at the beginning of the month and one of my friends helped me get started with digital scrapbooking. I've been doing some pages and I LOVE IT! I'm so excited to get faster and be able to start whippin' out the layouts! :) Well, I got a speeding ticket, took Mark to another craniofacial clinic apt. (the yearly one where we see MANY of his doctors in one long afternoon), got Mark's CURLY hair cut, and even had Kim and kids here to visit for a couple days after her visit to TX. We had so much fun! One night Rachel and Irene got away for a little "girls night" with us where we made cookies, watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and worked out on the elliptical! Very fun--now THAT'S what sisters are for. We missed Afton because her girls were really sick, and Becca because she was in CA! Now, I'm about to go out to another "girls night in" with my friends and then tomorrow I'm gearing up to go skiing with Becca! Woo Hoooo. I can't wait. I haven't been in over 5 years! Dave is in CA for a tournament where a bunch of his students are competing. He was excited to go and have a whole team there to coach. I hope they all do well. We have Lainey's (Julie's baby) and Reed's baby blessings to look forward to on Sunday and a family dinner here afterward with hopefully everyone who lives close plus our parents--I LOVE FAMILY GET TOGETHERS! Love you all and sure can't wait for the reunion in July! It can't come soon enough. Oh, and we're so excited that the Jaspersons will be here a full week BEFORE the reunion and that Chrissy and girls will be staying for a few weeks AFTER the reunion! Yippeeeeeeeeeeee. Bring on the Fam! :)

Here are a few pics of our family get together tonight:
My sisters Afton and Rachel, and Elizabeth
My brother Frosty, Kyra, Emily, and Hunter My step-dad Gordon and sister Becca
My dad and sis-in-law Irene and Boston
My mom, brother Hobie and silly Mark!

FB Rocks!

Can I just tell you all how much I love FB? It has opened up a whole new world of friends for me! Or, maybe I should say, it has opened up a whole new way of getting to know my friends better. I've realized that you really do get to know people well just by seeing how they spend their time, the kinds of things they do each day, the comments they make to other people, and the things they write about themselves (of course all the "notes" help--I love those!). I was really skeptical when I first learned about FB, because it just seemed like it would be glorified texting. I just couldn't fathom that people could really get to know each other without "being" together. I had heard that teenagers would communicate on FB pretty much before they even knew each other and then they would go out on a date having not ever really met. Anyway, now that I'm a part of it, I definitely see the benefits. Don't get me wrong--it's AWESOME to get together with others, but let's face it--it's less and less practical as we all get so involved with our families. I do think that over time we will become more available to hang out with friends again, but for now FB seems to fill that void. I'm able to communicate with others on my own time and they on theirs and IT REALLY WORKS! I'm able to cultivate friendships that I otherwise wouldn't be able to and I'm able to get to know people that I otherwise just don't cross paths with anywhere else. It's really great. But, just a note of caution--it is also addicting! :)

FB Note--more random stuff

1. What is your occupation right now? I'm a mama
2. What color are your socks right now? white
3. What are you listening to right now? Darci and her cousin Forest talking into their cups and giggling about it. Also, Bill Nye the Science Guy in the background which is keeping Mark and Kyra happy.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? the crust off of Mark's pb&h sandwich
5. Drive a stick shift? no, but I would love to--I miss it.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My brother Hobie--discussing the purchase of honey for me from Costco. . .food storage--I don't know if we could ever live without honey!
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? yep
8. How old are you today? 34, but so close to 35 I can feel it!
9.Your favorite sport to watch on TV? gymnastics, by far
10. What is your favorite drink? good ol' H2O, I can't stand anything carbonated, and I don't have the calories to waste on juice.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes, highlights are a must, only I don't do it as much as I should.
12. Favorite food? I'd have to say pizza or choc chip cookies! OK, or anything mexican and smothered. (hence. . .#10)
13. What is the last movie you watched? My Big Fat Greek Wedding--last night with a few of my sisters, we had a good time!
14. Favorite day of the year? any day that we are with family--family reunions and holidays are the best.
15. How do you vent anger? cry or sleep it off.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? the "little people" little girl with blonde hair, I called her Lacey.
17. What is your favorite season? That's hard, I love Spring, Summer AND Fall--I don't really enjoy much about Winter except that it makes me appreciate the other seasons more.
18. Cherries or Blueberries? that's a hard one, I really LOVE them both, I eat frozen blueberries on a regulare basis (in my oatmeal), but I don't have cherries as much as I'd like.
19. Do you want your friends to respond back? of course, I love these!
20. Who is the most likely to respond? well, I think Jenny will probably do this. :)
21. Who is least likely to respond? Chrissy, she doesn't like to reveal too much about herself to people.
22. Living arrangements? We live in our home with our three kids, near to a couple of my siblings, with great neighbors and friends and have a pool in our neighborhood to top it off! :)
23.When was the last time you cried? hmmmm. . .it seems like I had a small breakdown a few days ago.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? dirty clothes because "someone" can't seem to quite get them into the laundry basket!
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? That would have to be Esther--since 3rd grade!
26. What did you do last night? you mean after preparing and feeding everyone dinner, cleaning, reading stories, helping get pajamas on, family prayer, and getting kids in bed? Well, refer to #13 (we also made cookies and took turns working out on the elliptical --I know, I know, they pretty much contradict eachother!--while watching the movie)
27. What are you most afraid of? my kids getting teased or hurt and not knowing how or being able to help them
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? spicy and with cheese.
29. Favorite dog breed? Rottweilers
30. Favorite day of the week? ummmm, I guess I don't have a favorite, they're all pretty much the same when you're a mom. . .you're just hurrying from one different thing to another and cleaning up different things, depending on the day.
31. How many states have you lived in? 3--WY, UT, and CA
32. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
33. What is your favorite flower? Lilly
34. How many country's have you visited? 2, but I only barely crossed the border of both!
35. What is your favorite color? well, that obviously depends on what it's for, but I suppose I could go with red.

Cashin' in!

You might remember that I had a post where I offered the first three responders (and yes, I do make up my own words as need arrives) a homemade gift sometime this year. Well, I posted because I had responded on my sisters blog--and too bad for those of you who responded on mine instead of hers, because your gifts will not be near as cool as the ones I just got! :) Just thought I'd share what I cashed in on--the girls love their new tutu's!!! Thanks Chrissy!

Aren't they adorable? Oh ya, I know my girls are, I meant the tutus! lol I can't believe my sister makes stuff like this, she is so creative, talented, and awesome for making them for ME!

Digiscrappin' Fool!

I think I can say I'm officially a digiscrapper!! I've been totally addicted since I started. I definitely had a few frustrating days in there as I was trying to learn the program, but I'm getting the hang of it, and LOVING it! Thanks to my friend Christina who showed me the ropes and also gave me a bunch of her stuff--I'm now on my way! Here are a few of my first pages: So, what do you think? I'm just trying to figure out what I'll do with all the "hard" pictures I get, like school pics, Christmas cards/pictures, etc. I'll have to ask Christina what she does! :)

Big Sexy Hair

OK, so I just discovered the marvelousness (I know, I know) of using a root boost! So, first I wanted to let everyone out there who doesn't already know about it or use it that YOU SHOULD--your hair will do whatever you ask it to do and it will STAY that way and it will look AWESOME! And, secondly I want to ask all of you who HAVE known about it and HAVE been using it WHY WHY WHY haven't you pulled me aside and (either kindly, or pointedly--because you know you could never really offend me--and if you don't know that then I don't know how you got my blog address because you must not know me. . .hee hee) explained to me that I could have much better hair if I just used this marvelous product called ROOT BOOST???! I'm so sad that I've always just thought my hair wasn't like everyone elses who could make it look "that way" and I've been living with flat roots for so long! :) Anyway, sorry about the bad bad sentences, but, also if you know me, you know that I often take off on tangents and now you know that it also happens in my writing! OK, so for any "beginners" out there--the best root boost I've found is BIG SEXY. . .so go try it! You spray it on (it's a spray foam) your roots when your hair is wet--just part it in three different places and spray down the roots, not sparingly, then pat/rub it in. Then blow dry upside down and cool upside down (you know, with the cold button that you never understood what it could possibly be for) then flip up and style--you'll love it! And, you'll love me for telling you!!!

Points, points, and LESS points. . .

Well, I'm getting back on the bandwagon that I bailed from about 6 months ago! I'm counting points again (weight watchers points, that is)! :) I pretty much quit working out and watching what I ate--for who knows what reason!?? It all happened slowly of course, but I still recognized it and didn't do anything about it. Dave and I were trying to figure out what makes the difference, why are we able to do so good sometimes and not others? I'm not really sure what it is, but the other day I realized how UNCOMFORTABLE I was in my clothes and decided enough was enough!! Why was I letting myself feel this way? So, something clicked on inside and I have a renewed desire to get healthy again. I hope I will keep it up forever this time. How do you all keep your fires lit?!! :)

Seriously, I AM so blessed!

If you're not into sappy, don't read on. . .I just have to say that I really can't believe how blessed I am to have so many family members live near me! Dave and I have always chosen to live as close to family as possible, but until the last two years--I only dreamed of actually being neighbors with my sisters and brothers! I used to say (and actually still do) that I would be in "heaven" if my whole family could live in my neighborhood! Well, that has practically (as much as is conceivably possible) come to pass over the past few years! Dave and I moved here to West Jordan nearly 8 years ago, since then Becca (my sis) moved to Sandy, Frosty (my bro) moved to SLC, my dad moved to SLC, and Julie (Dave's sis) moved to Riverton! But, as if that wasn't enough, just recently (in the past two years) Afton (my sis) moved to West Jordan, Rachel (my sis) moved into the neighborhood next to mine, and then, to top it off, Hobie (my bro) moved to the neighborhood next to her! My kids are in cousin heaven and I'm on cloud nine! I LOVE my neighbors/friends and NEVER want to move for that reason, but having family around has definitely been the icing on the cake! Everytime I sit down to ponder or think about what to write about--I just end up being so thankful for everyone I have around me--and wondering how it all came to be. It started as a dream, and now I'm living it! Now, don't get me wrong, I still dream of having MORE (I know it's hard to believe there's more, but there is) of my family live close, but. . .this is definitely more than I ever thought was really possible. I know it might not be this way forever, or even for very long, but I'm sure loving every minute of it--for myself and for my kids! Families really are a blessing--and I know Heavenly Father gave us families because he loves us. I'm just doubly blessed because I happen to really love my family! :)

Dance, Dance, Dance

My girls love to dance. Darci is always wearing a dress/skirt (or "pretty" as she calls it) and showing me her dances. I put Kyra in a ballet class this year just for something fun to do with her cousin Emily. She has enjoyed it and it has been way cute to watch. Darci can't wait to do "ballallet" too (hopefully with her cousin Elizabeth--they practice together all the time). Here is a cute clip of her dancing just before going to Kyra's recital--she can't let her sister get all the attention!

Kyra was so excited to show us everything she has learned in ballet so far this year. Here are a few pics from her recital:

Here is a clip from her solo dance--I'm glad she didn't tip over from spinning so much! :) Oh, and don't mind my giggling--I tend to do that a lot! I just thought she was adorable--and I was so proud of her for doing it all on her own.

Call Home!

My family has a newsletter "Call Home!" that we put out once a month (my maiden name is Call if you don't already know that). I will be posting my section under this title every month. It will usually be pretty long as I sort of recap everything, so if you're interested, read on. . .

I (along with the help of Dave’s mom) home schooled Mark this month. It has been fun and a little bit crazy, but also productive for both Mark and me. But, now (through Phil and Becca—whose nephew attends, and my neighbor—who teaches there) we’ve found a Montessori private school that Mark is excited to go to. We don’t know yet if he’ll be able to start immediately or if we’ll be waiting until Fall. We toured the school and it seems that everything is taught in a very “right brained” way. Mark is most excited about not having to wear shoes, getting to do his work on the floor (at his own pace), having a quiet lunch room, and getting to go on a field trip EVERY Friday. Needless to say, I’ve been very busy and going a little bit crazy trying to adjust to all the changes around here. Hopefully we’ll be able to settle back into some sort of routine soon.

Well, we’ve all had dental appointments where 3 of us (Mark, Kyra, and I) had to schedule again for fillings and crowns. What is up with our teeth?!! It was fun to have mom here for a few days after Reed was born, she and I got to go to the temple together. Speaking of--Rachel, Robert, and I just took all the kids through the Draper temple. The kids LOVED it! Darci thought all the lights were pretty, Mark loved the “heaven” room and the sealing room where “he will get married,” and Kyra liked seeing where we do baptisms for the dead—in a font on top of 12 huge oxen. It was a great experience and I’m really looking forward to attending the temple dedication with Mark in a couple weeks.

We’ve been taking advantage of the awesome weather this past week. I took the kids to the park on Tuesday and finished my book while they played (yes, my kids are old enough to do that now), Wednesday Rachel, Irene, and I took all the kids to the zoo, and yesterday Becca called everyone and we all met at the park for the afternoon. We missed Irene and kids and Frosty, but the rest of us “locals” were there to have fun together for a few hours.

Kyra and Emily had a little dance recital where they both volunteered to do solo’s. I was so surprised that Kyra jumped right up to perform without any reservations—she’s usually too shy and nervous to do things like that in front of other people. When Dave asked her if she was scared she said “No, my teacher told us to just pretend we were in class and that no one was watching, so I did that and it wasn’t even scary.” They were both adorable and did a great job!

Dave just got a third job (second being a jiu-jitsu teacher at the gym) with a security solutions company that provides training for the Special Forces teams from all branches of the military. He’s the high threat environment instructor who teaches them the hand to hand combat and ground fighting. Last week they told him he’s the highest rated instructor they’ve ever had. Now he is part of the required curriculum for their program.