something 30

The kids and I on my 30th!

Yup, I turned the big 30 this last weekend!! I had little anticipation for what the day would bring, but found by the end I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun I think the 30's will be! I must say the twenties were spent trying new things, failing at a lot of it, starting new journeys, experiencing many "firsts", growing (emotionally, spiritually, and physically! Ha!), gaining perspectives, actually succeeding at some things, and well... just figuring out all this "adult" stuff and more! The difference between a 20 year old and a 30 year old is huge, at least I think so. So much growing happens then and not to say I won't keep growing, but I do think my life will stay somewhat the same the next 10 years. Maybe I'm being naive? However, I think the biggest changes in my life probably happened in my twenties... college, getting married, having babies (that whole process can change ANY woman many ways!), and so on... lots of commitments come with all those things and I hope my 30's are spent trying to stay balanced with what life has handed me in the last 10 years or so. To reflect and remember some of my last 30 years I've come up with a list... no particular theme to this list. Just a list of 30 things I want to think about today from the last 30 years of my life! Feel free to keep reading or if you get bored, just check back next time for a good kid post! :-)

1.) Family doesn't always just mean the people with your same DNA. Actually, often times family becomes those people who see you, talk to you, and go about your daily life with you. It's like having a bonus family! Both kinds are wonderful in their very own unique ways and I couldn't do life without any of them!!

2.) The first bite of a slice of pizza is always the very best bite. Something about the perfect angle of the slice as you bite into the triangle shape.... every time I always like the first bite best.

3.) Being blonde does NOT mean you have more fun. Lots of my most fun friends are not even close to blonde :)

4.) Motherhood is absolutely positively the best thing I've ever done.

5.) Motherhood is absolutely positively the hardest thing I've ever done. Even harder then those unbearable days with junior high girls, first fights with your husband, and those tough conversations with people in your life whom you want to have very honest relationships with.

6.) Try to always think positively about your body. I always look back and think "Man, I looked good then!". However, when that actual picture was taken I probably thought I looked too short or too thin or too fat or too boxy or too curly haired and so on... You'll save a lot of worrying if you just decide to like the person God made you to be!

7.) Life is too short to not eat desserts. Especially chocolate ones.

8.) There may be no other time in your life where you will feel the way you do when you fall in love. Fall in love at least once if you can :)

9.) College does not have to mean what culture tells us it means. Define yourself before you go off and let culture define you.

10.) Worry less about what people think of you. I wasted a lot of years worrying for nothing!

11.) Find a role model or a mentor as soon as you can. These people make life a bit easier to swallow...especially when you get to the big stuff! My life mentors are sometimes my saving grace!

12.) Play a lot. Not just when your little and the days run on and on doing fun things all the time. Play when you are big too. And laugh a lot while you do it. :)

13.) Actions and words make up most of our character. Character, in my eyes, says a million words to me. My character also says a million things to others. Character and integrity go hand in hand. Have lots of both!

14.) Experience the ocean at least once in your life. Breath-taking. Amazing. Beautiful.

15.) Have lots of traditions!! You'll always have something to look forward to all year long and it makes transitioning into new seasons of life easier! I LOVE traditions!

16.) Count your blessings. Literally. We are much more blessed then we let on most the time.

17.) There is nothing like finding a great pair of jeans :)

18.) Learn to say no much more then you say yes. It will make what you say yes to a very special commitment every time, no matter how small or how big the offer/question/commitment is.

19.) Don't be afraid to ask for help.

20.) God really is always with us. Even when we are as far as away from Him that we can get, He's always just a door knock away. It is NEVER too late to go knocking on His door!!

21.) God gave us grace... be quick to give it to others. No strings attached.

22.) Do not let bitterness sit in your heart very long. It hurts you more then the person you are holding the bitterness towards. And that can become ugly!

23.) Be nicer then necessary to people... you never know what they are going through.

24.) Figure out what your strengths are and how God made you. Then do those things. Nothing will bring you more peace, joy, and happiness then when you allow God's molding of you to take shape.

25.) High-school does end. If relationships are hard during this time, just know it is only a blink of the eye before you are out of it. Just a small percentage of the overall life equation!

26.) Don't be shy of becoming friends with people not exactly like you. They bring a new meaning to friendship and life!

27.) Enjoy those naps when you can get them!!! (can I get an Amen sister!?!?) :)

28.) The old Girl Scout song just may be very true... Make new friends, but keep the old, some are silver and the other gold. They are all gems in your life one way or the other.

29.) Don't ever let a boy define who you are. That boy can be part of your personal definition, but not all of it.

30.) Love often. Love your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your enemies, your peers... love really does conquer all from what I can tell so far.

Salsa Season! Yum!

I love making home-made salsa! I think I've posted about this before... but this year I had such cute helpers that I had to do it again! And, I even was able to use some of my own garden veggies to make some! Sweet! In another life I am sure I lived in the early 1900's and had a HUGE garden... hmmm, maybe someday in this life I will make it happen again :) Right now though, I am happy to get a little 3 ft by 6 ft garden in with just a few things.
I planted some salsa peppers this year because those are always so expensive at the store. Along with my green bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, and just a few of my tomatoes (I had to supplement with some Roma tomatoes and onions from the farmer's market) I was able to make a first batch of salsa! (Oh, and a few of my friend Kris's peppers from her garden! Thanks Kris!). My niece, Maddalyn, was over for the day and she wasted no time joining Jaxon to get her hands messy with all the veggies and salsa making! What a fun afternoon we had! I Love cooking with the kids... my mother and both my grandmothers always let us kids be in the kitchen with them when they cooked or baked. To this day those are some of my favorite childhood memories with those ladies. This is one tradition I love passing down because I have such a heart for making good food for my family and a heart for doing things together as a family. It's a win win for me! If you're wondering what to do with all those left over tomatoes this season... try some salsa and grab your closest kid! What a fun day and oh, what a treat!:)

Maddie and Jaxon working together...

Salsa Peppers in our garden

Green Peppers in our garden

My favroite salsa recipe from my favorite HyVee cookbook that I "borrowed" from the Big House when we lived there :)

What a nice selection of produce. I love our local farmers markets!

My recipe calls for 3 hours of simmering and thickening... so my little tots for the day took a break to swim while we waited!

great weather for the park

8 years together!

I meant to blog this last week, but my days got away from me. So, here I am writing and reflecting on 8 years being married to Dave Hansen! My, my... it's been a journey. One that has been filled with every emotion, lots of love, lots and lots of grace, and of course plenty of laughter. Some days I can hardly believe it's been 8 years already and some feel like it's only been a few... I mean, we're all still like 25 right? Most of the time though it just feels like life has never been any different... like I've never lived without him. I can not imagine life without him and even though he drives me crazy at times, he's still the best friend I married 8 years ago and even more. Today he is much more to me then he was back then... I guess the longer you are in someones heart the bigger role you have in that person's life. Dave is undeniably my other half.

Dave has taught me many things about myself over the years and I have no doubt he will continue to teach me more. Marriage is something we are so thankful for and we're having a blast doing it together! My husband is a very real person, hard working, giving, responsible, respected, hilarious, sometimes too honest, practical, light hearted, empathetic, sports crazy, can't sit still, did I mention funny?, super fun, forgiving, and just all around good man. He is the best husband and father I know. And I mean that. I'm blessed to be his wife and thankful for 8 great years! Happy Anniversary, babe!

I have only a few pictures of just us on this computer... so here's to "us"... we're so often a group these days (couple plus 2 kids!), but we constantly are trying to remind ourselves to be just us when we can. We love spending time just the two of us and I hope we can find some more of that this next year... we'll work on that during our 9th year :)

July 21, 2001~Our Wedding Day

July 21, 2008~ Our tradition has been for Jaxon to take our pic each year on our anniversary. This was last year! Before our also traditional Brown Bottle dinner :)

a weeeknd away in 2007

right after being announced "Mr & Mrs David Hansen" Whoo-hoo!!!

July 21, 2009 ~ Post Brown Bottle dinner, again :)

gotta drown a bit before you swim

Session two, group four... swim lessons are here again. As Dave and I weave through all the possibilities for a five year old to be involved in we always end up with this experience being a "non-negotiable". We may let our children choose what other activities they participate in down the road, but swim lessons is one thing we think our kids need. It is kind of like a life skill, something to be used forever, and something worth pouring a little bit of moola into. We want our kids to be comfortable swimmers and feel confidant around water. Thus... our third year of swim lessons! Jaxon is doing great and fortunately loves the pool, so even these cool mornings haven't been too much of a fight to get him there. He likes going and is usually pacing the floor ready an hour before we leave!
As I was sitting on the side today entertaining two 1 year olds I was watching Jaxon attempt a new swim form. He is now in the bit deeper water, so I really pay attention as he builds confidence and technique. Some of you know that water frightens me a bit. I LOVE the pool and the ocean and even like a boat ride on a lake every now and then... but inside I am an anxious person whenever I'm around water. Especially unknown waters. I am NOT a good swimmer and I am not confidant that I could save myself or my child if I found myself drowning. Today as Jaxon learned a new thing in the water I watched him struggle a bit and it made me think about life in general for him. I love to see my kids succeed and it's hard to see my kids fail or struggle with things. As I watched I realized that there are many times in my children's lives when I may want to whisk them away from what they are struggling with or just do it for them, to save them the pain or hard times. I started to think back on my own life and I realized that often in my past the times I learned the most, grew the most, or finally figured something out...was after I had struggled immensely. I thought about that as Jaxon bobbed up and down in the water and I forced myself to not walk to the side and pull him from the water. He even gasped for air a bit and I sat and prayed for strength for him. He would get it and if he didn't a trustworthy lifeguard was at his side to help. Kind of like when God throws us a life line when we need it at certain times in our lives. He knows how far we can go before He needs to intervene with His own form of help. As Jaxon's mom, I'm going to need to know when to let him drown a bit in life... to figure it out on his own... and when I need to throw him a life jacket and pull him from the deep waters. I hope I do not react too soon and deplete any lesson in life from happening and yet I hope I don't respond too late and let him drown miserably. Either way... I learned today that as my children grow I will often times have to let them drown a bit, as painful as it is to watch, so that they will find their own strength and ability to master their skills. I pray I can do this quietly and be an encourager as they gasp for air a bit in this lifetime. I am thankful for the "life guards" on duty through out my children's lives and know that sometimes it may not be me who gets to do the saving. I pray for them too... cuz we all need a few "life guards" in our own lives!
Tomorrow we'll do day 8 of swim lessons and chances are.... after today's experience Jaxon won't be bobbing up and down trying to get air like today :) Way to go Jaxon!! Thank you to our great swim instructors and thanks God for strength to learn a new life skill!

half way point

I have just been thinking the last few days that we are at about the half way point... the spot between when summer vacation started and when school begins again. I LOVE summer time, always have, I'm sure always will. I used to cruise through summer time hardly thinking twice about the end nearing, except for looking forward to sweet corn and fall days to begin. This is a weird summer because I love all the summer things we are doing. However, I'm doing my best to s-l-o-w our everyday lives down here in our home, so that I really embrace these last summer days with my two boys before Jaxon heads off to school.
I love having my kids home with me and I'm not really the type of mom who flips calendar days off the chart just waiting til the kids go back to school. (at least not yet anyways- :) It has been such good learning moments for me lately... really stopping what I'm doing and just playing, or reading with the kids more, or ignoring the phone and just being outside... whatever our day brings, as long as we're together. I've been thinking a lot about how busy we get here at times and we let many moments just slide by without even realizing it. I know I'm very aware these days because my daily life with Jaxon is about to change drastically, but I hope I look back and read this someday and am reminded again to just take a step back from whatever I'm doing and just be.
If I pause long enough and really embrace the moment I'm in I can truly FEEL the moment instead of just going through the motions. I want to remember these days as wonderful, just what they are, with my family!! I want my kids to remember them as me being "here" and not "there". So... just some thoughts from my mom zone these days :) I hope you are letting yourself be in your daily moments and not just letting them play out in front of you. Laundry, dishes, floors to be cleaned, and so on will all still be there tomorrow... your kids are only at this stage for this summer once! My, they grow up so fast... Embrace these beautiful summer days with your little ones!!! I'll be trying to do the same with mine! Here, here to the second half of summer!!!

what have we been doing???

Well, Austin has been spending hours riding bike... he has mastered making it go forward with his feet on the ground and gets moving pretty fast!

Like I said... this kid rides bikes or tractors EVERY DAY for most of the time we are outside!

We spent a long afternoon up in Denver with some of Dave's siblings and families one day. Uncle Aaron was very generous to be the "fun guy" in the pond. Jaxon loved getting thrown into the air! Weeeee!

Dave's sister, Holly and husband Kyle, recently moved into their new house after building it themselves for the last year. One of the perks is it comes with a pond! Here's Dave dad after he purchased life jackets so that most of us could play in the water together... I think I heard a water-polo match is coming up? That could be interesting with 11 adults and 13 little ones! We look forward to many family gatherings at the Matthias pond!

If you look close enough you'll see Jaxon and cousin Kyler hanging out on a raft in the pond. These two were the first ones in and the last ones out. :-) Fun times!

Whoo-hoo! Dave and I got a date night in this last week! Our good friends, Mark & Kris, watched the kids and here are Addelyn and Austin having a drink together :)

Our good buddy Kendyl came to visit!! Jaxon and Kendyl spent a lot of time playing in the yard, hanging by the campfire, and just chatting. We sure like having her around :)

We had a few play days with the Middleton crew!! What fun our house sees when they all come!

Slip n slide... Jaxon fixed it up so the pool was at the end of the hill in our yard and they slid for hours down the slide and into a water filled pool. There were a couple days we were out doing this by 8am! Summer mornings can be fun!!

Roger from next door has been helping Jaxon learn to ride with no training wheels!! Keep trying Jaxon!!!

More slip n slide... it filled a lot of summer days in early June!

We've been enjoying our flower gardens. It's always nice to see your hard work pay off in such pretty shades of color.

Jaxon attended TWO VBS's. Mason and Jaxon spent two weeks in a row traveling to Naz and Orchard Hill for Crocodile Dock!! We're still dancing to the tunes from these two weeks!

Backyard pool time ...

Playing in our backyard has been a nightly activity. We LOVE our yard!!!

I found some early sweet corn and Austin loves it... yummy, can't wait for sweet corn season! We (or should I say "I") love fresh vegetables in the summer!

We kicked off the summer with a vacation to St Louis... our friends the Hoskinsons joined us for the end of it. I still need to post this trip :)