What is it with kids, holidays, and illness?

Immediately upon writing the title of this post I realized how grumpy I sound, especially since I haven't yet posted any fun pictures from Christmas. That's coming. However, right now I do feel grumpy. My kids have been sick all month. Cole has had a really rough time of it...both colds he's had have nailed him with breathing problems and we've been giving him breathing treatments on and off all month. The most recent round hit the day before we left for St. George for Christmas, which was pretty bad timing. And Brian spent the entire week before and after Christmas sick with a severe cold. I feel extremely lucky that I've dodged the bullet thus far and hopeful that I'm not sealing my fate by saying that (I'll knock on wood for good measure). Anyway.

Tonight we had invited friends over to celebrate New Year's Eve and were really looking forward to it. Brian surprised me by coming home early from work and I was off to do some last minute shopping for our little party. (Word to the wise: Never, EVER go to any grocery store on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. What a zoo!)

When I walked in the door Brian was busily vacuuming and I thought, "Wow! What a great husband!" He caught my surprised glance and said, "It's not what you think. You'll never guess the horror I've just experienced." As if all the other illness wasn't enough...Cole had just thrown up all over Brian. So, poor Brian was dealing with both kids while cleaning up the awful mess. We had to cancel our festivities and have only a night full of puking children to look forward to.

I know...this is the way it is with kids. They get sick...a lot. And it's the parents' job to deal with it. Just let it be recorded that I despise nothing more than the stomach flu (as far as routine illness goes, of course). I hate cleaning up after my kids when they have it, and I really hate having it myself. Last winter it played a dirty joke on me...almost a week after Brian and both kids had finished with it and I was sure I had escaped, it nailed me. So I'm not holding my breath...

But I am using a lot of hand sanitizer.

Quote of the Day

Cole: "I have a headache in my nose."

Walking!

A Bit of Randomness

We decorated our Christmas tree a few days ago...notice the abundance of ornaments in the 3 1/2 feet tall area of the tree.

Below, see the reason why we didn't go to Disneyland on Monday like we'd planned.

The artist? You guessed it! It turns out we're glad he lost his Disneyland privileges, because that evening he started wheezing like crazy and the next day he was getting breathing treatments. He loves the fish mask. (That's a smile underneath the mask, by the way.)

And to complete the randomness of this post, try to guess what the white substance on my visor is...


No, it's not mold. :) It's salt. I guess I sweat A LOT when I run. Today we clocked 12.2 miles...I think we're ready for the half marathon! It's just about a month away...

Kids Photo Shoot

Click on the image below for the kids' photos...enjoy!

Kids Photo Shoot

Family Photo Shoot

My sister, Janae, did a photo shoot with our family on Tuesday (thanks Janae!). She's an awesome photographer...click here to check out her website. Here are just a few of the family photos and couple photos (Brian and I) that she took (click on the picture and it'll take you to the Picasa web album). Hopefully within the next day or two I'll get a chance to post another album with the photos of Cole and Weston (of which there are many...I'm having a hard time choosing which ones to post, which is why I'll post them later).

Family Photo Shoot

Better late than never!

I've been meaning to post pictures from Halloween for a long time now...so here they are. The moment you've all been waiting for!

This was the first year that I've attempted assembling costumes for my kids instead of just buying one ready-made off the rack...

In honor of our spider adventures over the past few months, Cole was a black widow! (Nevermind that a black widow is female, Cole didn't know or care!)

Weston was a pirate. You are now witnessing the millisecond in which we were able to keep the bandana on his head. Good thing it was cheap. The great irony of Weston being a pirate was that the whole idea was based on the fact that he's always wearing a patch over his right eye. We forgot to consider the fact that Halloween costumes are generally worn in the evening, when Weston finally gets a break from the patch. So, he's the patchless pirate.


We had some friends over on Halloween morning to make sugar cookies...


They turned out really great. Cole was the master decorater...his artistry is evident on most of these cookies.


Cole is just at this fantastic age where EVERYTHING is exciting and wonderful. He hasn't stopped talking about the strings and seeds inside of the pumpkins...in fact, one night in his prayers he asked Heavenly Father to bless the strings and seeds in the pumpkins.

Tough guy...hauling his pumpkin out to the front porch!

Showing off the finished product...it's too bad we're obstructing Brian's pumpkin. It was pretty cool.

Weston demonstrated some of his new "standing" skills...no walking yet, but he's very close!

The trick-or-treating loot. For several days afterward, Cole would spent a significant portion of the day dumping the candy on the floor and just looking at it.

Aren't we adorable? Don't you wish you had the Hansen vampire clan as neighbors?

All in all, it was a pretty happy Halloween.

More Prop 8 Thoughts, Part II.

This post is a continuation of my last post about Proposition 8, directed to members of the Church who may still have reservations about the Church's involvement. Here is a quote from my sister Laurie about it (I hope you're OK with me quoting you Laurie):

"I think the Lord knew this would be a trial of faith for many people. [Some in the Church] don't see why the Church got involved or how it was worth it, [and] don't see any immediate threat to the church [with the legalization of same-sex marriage], but isn't that why we sustain the Prophet as a seer? -If [we] did see, it wouldn't be a trial of faith (which I think everyone will have in their own way). I don't think that going through a trial of faith is the same as being apostate."

Here is my response to what she said:

"Well said Laurie. If we totally agreed with everything we are asked to do, it wouldn't really test our faith. I know that this whole thing has caused an increase in members leaving the Church, and may pose some danger to our missionaries here in California. It does seem kind of self-destructive for the Church to have gotten involved. The fact is, though, that the goal of the Church has never been primarily to recruit more members or to increase our popularity in the eyes of the world. If it was, we would have renounced the Book of Mormon and joined the Christian Coalition long ago. Sure, we want to be understood and accepted too, but that has always been secondary to standing for what is right and true. Standing up against slavery in the early days of the Church incited much greater persecution than what we are experiencing now. This is nothing new! It's just been so long since we've had to deal with anything this hard that I think we have forgotten that it's just part of the package. We always hear in testimony meetings about how much we admire the early saints for enduring physical and social hardships. We aren't anywhere near that level yet, but honestly, I'm kind of proud to be taking the heat for standing up for what is right. No, I wouldn't wish this on us. My ward temple night was canceled last night because of the protesters. Because of threats and specific posts on some blogs, I am worried that when we show up to Church on Sunday, there will be a group of people on the corner cursing at me as they do at General Conference, but that now it could be every Sunday. Maybe we will need a police officer at our building. Am I glad about this prospect? No! But I will gladly take the persecution if that is what I am called upon to do."

For those who continue to have reservations, I want to speak to you now. I think it's OK for you to have reservations, but we still need to trust the prophet. I worry for you that that this could become a wedge inside of you if you don't eventually resolve your feelings about it. Looking at examples in Church history, it is easy to see how something like this can lead to bigger problems. How many faithful saints have become bitter and left the Church over small reservations that festered over time and became truly bitter in the end? There was a recent and timely article by Elder Eyring about this in the Ensign just a few months ago. Please read this article, it is so powerful and relevant to this issue. I'm not saying that you or anyone has to totally understand this right now, but please try to gain a testimony about this. I have a testimony that this is exactly what the Church should have done. When you see how the opposition is reacting now that they have lost, you can say with a great deal of confidence how much they would have honored their vows that this would not be taught in our schools or used to take away religious rights. It seems pretty far-fetched right now, but I can see how this issue could ultimately lead to the toppling of churches and religion in general in our society. I really, really, know that the Church leaders considered how many members would be tested by this, and how much persecution would arise. They did not make this decision in ignorance, so I must conclude that it was worth it.

More Thoughts on Prop. 8 for Those Who May Still Question the Church's Involvement

Now that the battle for Proposition 8 in California is won, I find myself more passionate than ever about the importance of protecting marriage as between a man and a woman. I want to address this post to any member of the LDS Church who may still have reservations about the Church's involvement on this issue.

First of all, let me just say that I really sympathize with you. My involvement in Prop. 8 has been a remarkable journey, which to be honest, started out kind of luekwarm for me. I just didn't think that it was such a big deal, and I questioned why the Church would get involved politically.

Being here in the middle of the Prop 8 maelstrom, Karene and I have had to look pretty hard at ourselves in the mirror and convince ourselves that we should be behind this. Let me tell you, I don't think I could have made all of the sometimes less-than-warmly received phone calls and sign waving without first convincing myself that this is what we're supposed to do. It has also exposed me to some very serious questions that have been thrown at us by the opposition. Karene found the blog of an active gay member of the church that has really affected both of us more than we could have imagined. He is one of the most spiritually-mature, sincere, and wonderful individuals that we have ever encountered. Reading about his panic attack when he really unmistakably realized that he was gay, was so sincere and genuine, that both of our hearts went out to him. I had the uncomfortable realization that I still had some prejudice and fear towards gays. I'm not talking about homophobia, just an underlying impression that they somehow choose this for themselves. I now believe that it is a combination of nature and nurture, but that for most homosexuals, it is mostly nature. I have, perhaps for the first time, actually put myself in the shoes of a gay Mormon mentally, and imagined what that would be like. It would be worse than tearing off one of your arms, I think, because it would be like spiritually tearing yourself apart between your faith and your desire for companionship and romantic love.

So why am I so behind Prop 8? Church members already know why. It's to strengthen the most essential unit of any society - the family. It's to establish mother and father as the ideal and natural companionship to nurture children, bringing the unique and complimentary traits of both sexes into the home. Sure, that's already not the case for many homes, but it's about society recognizing that marriage is more about children than couples. I feel no glee in thinking about the slap in the face that this is to gay and lesbian couples. I honestly feel a sense of sadness with this victory. But I know that a prophet of God, who can see as a watchman from the tower the impending consequences of this issue, has not taken lightly the decision to call on the Church to support this issue. Being a member of the church automatically comes with the burden of being unpopular. It has not generally been popular in the past, and I can't expect it to be popular in the future. We will never be totally mainstream. But that doesn't mean that we can't keep trying to be understood. Karene and I have had an awakening experience in trying to walk in the shoes of a gay man. Can we not simply ask the same of the gay and lesbian community? To simply look at this from our perspective, and recognize that this is not about hatred, and that church members in California do not rejoice in the sorrow of our homosexual brothers and sisters? Tolerance is a two-way street, and we can only hope to be understood in as much as we try to understand others.

I know the Church is true, and I know that President Monson has called on Californians to support this issue with very good reason. We may never know the extent of the consequences of the Church's role in getting this measure passed. This is the first time in my life that I can remember the Church getting involved in a political issue. Because the Church so rarely gets involved in issues like this, the fact that the Church has become involved should be a big flag to every member that this is really, really important.

If this issue represents a crisis for your faith, remember that a trial of faith can also make one stronger. Karene and I have found comfort in a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell, that I'm including here:

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'

"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

If you are still struggling with the Church's involvement due to negative personal ramifications as a church member, please read this statement, released yesterday:

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-storie
s/church-responds-to-same-sex-marriage-votes

I think there are some very good points in there. For one, the Church acknowledges that not all members agree on this issue, and go on to say that we should be "understanding of each other and work together to make society better." I guess I just don't see why the Church shouldn't take a stand on an important moral issue on the basis that it will lead to personal difficulty for church members. I just found out that the L.A. Temple is closed today because 2,000+ angry protesters are marching out in front of it. There has been a commercial vilifying Mormon missionaries as "Home Invaders" trying to take away as many rights as they can. Am I discomfited about all of this? You bet I am. I'm even starting to feel some concern for my personal safety and the safety of my family. Protesters in Hollywood last night became violent and several were arrested by police officers.

One could well ask why so much anger and retaliation is being directed against Mormons. Blacks in California (10% of all voters) were 70% yes on Prop. 8. The Catholic Church and many evangelical churches were also yes on Prop. 8. Mormons (2% of Californians) did not coerce 52% of all Californians to vote yes, we just did our best to remind them why they should. In the end, over half of all Californians voted yes in an anonymous booth, according to the dictates of their own consciences. So again, why are Mormons targeted? Easy, because we're a safe target. It's a lot easier for an outside observer to not notice the hypocrisy of singling out Mormons as hate-mongers and bigots than it would be if blacks were being singled out.

Some have questioned the Church's collaboration with other churches that have, in the past, refused to recognize us as Christians. I respond, "Why shouldn't we take a stand with other Churches on this issue?" We have never accused them of not being Christians. Isn't the most Christlike thing to do to not harbor resentment towards these other Churches? One religious youth group has declared November 5th "Mormon Appreciation Day." I believe that our working together with these other churches has built bridges that could never have been built otherwise, and that have led to greater sympathy and appreciation for the Mormon Church.

How far is this going to go? Who knows. But I'll tell you one thing. I am not ashamed of my involvement in this issue, or the Church's involvement. This has never been about hatred or bigotry. It is about a belief, backed by an enormous amount of scientific evidence, that the strongest families are those with a mother and a father, period. Members of the Church have faced much greater persecution in the past for their beliefs that this. Why should we expect to be exempt?

As the opponents of Proposition 8 react to the decision with retaliation and religious discrimination, I will continue to fight any feelings of prejudice against them, or the gay/lesbian community. I can understand their pain and anger, and I can see that the Church is the easiest target for them. It's just human nature. Granted, not the best side of human nature, but at least I can understand why they might convince themselves that this is an appropriate way to react. I hope that in reading this, you can gain a testimony about the Church's involvement, but if you don't, the leaders of the Church have said that they understand why members might not get behind this, and there is no mandate to agree. That said, I really, really hope that all church members will come to agree.

MIA

Is it just my computer, or has our family picture disappeared from the top of our blog?

On Being Open Minded

A few days ago a friend of mine who regularly posts her thoughts about Proposition 8 posted a link to a website that has captured my attention. I've spent a good chunk of time over the last couple of days reading every post on this blog. It's fascinating, eye-opening, mind boggling, and inspirational. It's a blog by a gay man who is a faithful, practicing member of the LDS Church and has decided to live a celibate lifestyle, and who is very candid about his experiences, thoughts, and feelings as a gay member of the Church. Click here to visit his blog.

The controversy over Proposition 8 has had innumerable effects on the people of California. Some brush it off as "not their issue" to worry about, but many find themselves splitting one way or the other...either siding with the gay community or the "traditional" community. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases the forces that drive us to take sides one way or another also leaves us full of stereotypes and prejudices. I have been watching myself, trying to make sure that as I campaigned for traditional marriage I didn't let myself become prejudiced against gays. However, I didn't realize until I read Clint's blog how little I understood and how much mind-opening there was to be done.

Anyway, for the record, at this moment I find myself more compassionately dispositioned toward those with same-sex attraction than I ever have before in my life. And I hope it continues to become more so. I hope you'll take some time to visit his blog...I think you'll be glad you did.

A Herd of Gazelles

A lot of people think I'm crazy...and not just because I married Brian. ;-) No, many people think I'm crazy because I get up long before the crack of dawn to go running. It's the only time that works for me...I hate exercising in the evening when my energy is all depleted, and Brian leaves for work at 6:45 a.m. so I have to be done by then. Of course, in order to be safe, I have to have someone to run with me (and I prefer running with a friend, anyway). So, when my friend and running buddy, Jamie, moved in August I was worried. Anytime I tried to recruit a running buddy, I'd hear, "Oh, I'd love to, but there's no way I'm getting up at 5 a.m." I thought I might be out of luck, and have to start trying to jog with the double stroller in the middle of the day (oh, horror!). It seemed more likely I'd end up giving up altogether.

Luckily, I found Tanya, who was willing to give it a shot. Tanya hadn't done any running before, but told me she'd get up and run at 5 a.m. with me if I'd "train" her. I was game...I know exactly what it's like to start from ground zero. Not long afterward, Chelise joined us, and a soon Kimi jumped on board. I had to laugh. These were all people who had sworn up and down that 5 a.m. was just too early! But now we're out there, pounding the pavement twice a week at 5 a.m. I love it.

One morning as we ran down the path on the beach, a couple of bikers zipped by. As they passed us, one of them said, "Wow, look at this! It's a herd of gazelles!" Tanya was offended (I love it when Tanya gets offended...she's fiesty!). I think she only heard that we'd just been called a "herd" and so we explained that it was probably meant as a compliment. If only we ran as fast as gazelles! Anyway, thus our team name was born. We're proud of our "Gazelle Herd" status. Our first team goal was to run a 5K, which we did last Saturday in Long Beach. We killed two birds with one stone by promoting Proposition 8 while we ran:



Tanya and Kimi were both AWESOME...they weren't sure they were ready to pull off a 5K but they ran the whole thing. Way to go, girls!!

Oh, and just to make me laugh harder, our herd is growing...our friend Amber, who also swore she'd never get up that early to run, has joined us as well. Next up is a 10K!! Go HERD!!

The Slippery Slope

When it comes to the legalization of same-sex marriage, I'm convinced that this issue wouldn't stand a chance if the majority of voters were fully educated as to the implications of legalizing gay marriage for the average person. A week or so ago I brought up the issue with a friend of mine as we were out for our early morning walk. She said that she had very mixed feelings on the issue and couldn't feel certain that gay marriage was really that terrible. As she said it, "What's the problem, if two people love each other, with letting them make their relationship official?" I think my friend's question is representative of the majority of voters. Most people aren't bigots. Most people aren't homophobes. Most people, even those who are straight and don't approve of homosexuality, truly wish to be tolerant, to "live and let live". And honestly, if it was as simple as letting two people who love each other make their relationship official, I wouldn't be sure it was such a bad thing either.

The problem is, it's not that simple. The decision to legalize same-sex marriage is like a stone dropped in a pond...the effects ripple out and cannot be stopped. Those who oppose Proposition 8 would have us believe that it's an isolated issue, but it goes so far beyond that. I've seen a few websites recently where some of the implications are laid out very clearly, using examples of what's going on in Massachusetts and elsewhere since same-sex marriage was legalized there 4 years ago. I thought I'd post the links to those for your consideration:

http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/effects_of_ssm.html

http://travelingsarac.blogspot.com/2008/10/freedom-of-religion-and-speech.html

Also, I loved this article by an openly gay talk show host who actually opposes same-sex marriage himself. He can say things, as a homosexual, that heterosexuals cannot say without being labeled as homophobic or bigoted.

With only one week until the polls open and this issue is decided, I find myself overwhelmed with the enormity of this decision. I hope and pray that Californians become educated with the real issues at stake and vote accordingly.

It's nice to know someone cares

I usually wear my hair down, but occasionally if I'm having a bad hair day or just need my hair out of my face, I twist it up and put it in a clip. A few days ago when I did this, Cole looked at me and said, "I don't like your hair like that. Can you take that black thing out of your hair?" I laughed and thought it was just a funny, random thing. A day or so later I pulled my hair up again, and once again, Cole informed me that he doesn't like it that way. I find it hilarious that my 3-year-old has a preference for how I wear my hair!

It gets better though...just now I'm sitting at the computer, my hair is in a ponytail, and I'm wearing workout clothes and glasses (I usually wear contacts). Cole said, "Mama, did you go running?" I said, "No, I just went walking today." He said, "Can you wear pretty clothes? I want you to take off that shirt and put on a pretty shirt. I don't like your hair up. Can you take that black thing off your hair? Can you take off your glasses?" I'm cracking up. Who knew he noticed? Who would've guessed he cared?

Guess I'd better go get cleaned up!

6 Quirks

OK, so I'm responding to Karene's tag below, but I'm too lazy to post the rules or to follow any of them except for the one about actually posting the 6 quirks/random things about myself. I'm a little bit nervous about exposing to a small degree the extent of my weirdness (they measure weirdness on a completely different scale in my family), but here goes:

1- I am the bongiest Bong Hong. It's kind of hard to explain, but Bong Hong is kind of like my child-self alter ego. Bong Hong doesn't have to follow the rules of grammar or other societal norms. Don't worry, Bong Hong completely harmless.

2 - The best way to know if I am happy (bongy) is if I am singing whatever song happens to be in my head, while taking unrestrained free license in modifying the lyrics. That may not sound like much, so I really have to provide an example to illustrate how weird it can get. This example is the chorus from my version of "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias:

I will be your toothbrush baby.
I can take away the plaque, oh yeah.
Get me from your toothbrush holder,
I - can - take -- bad breath away.

Most of my songs aren't that creative, usually consisting of a few substitutions of Bong Hong or Cute Head (Karene) in the place of the original names.

3 - I have actually annoyed myself with my repetitive singing of annoying songs; in fact, it happens on a regular basis and I have to tell Karene to plug in the iPod to save me from myself.

4 - Sometimes Bong Hong takes the form of a wild crouching lionesque-froglike creature that hops and chomps while stalking Karene, Cole, or Weston around the house. The creature's mission is to tickle it's prey with gentle chomping on the ribcage.

5 - I am a reformed Nintendo addict. In middle school and much of high school, I was almost always playing Nintendo (Original NES and Super NES). If I wasn't playing Nintendo, I was almost certainly eagerly awaiting next month's issue of Nintendo Power. Some games that I have won with no cheats: Ninja Gaiden, Zelda II, Bionic Commando, and Final Fantasy II. Some games that I deem to be impossible to win: Friday the 13th, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (though I once got to the technodrome), and of course, Ghosts and Goblins. Sure, I was stunted socially, but don't mess with my hand-eye coordination skills.

6 - Do you really need more? Do you really want more? Are you really still reading this? Well, then, you shall get what you deserve. Behold the leaking iris!

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10.7

That's how many miles I (and my running buddy, Chelise) ran today!!! We're gradually working up to the 13 miles we'll be doing in the half marathon in January, but it felt like a big milestone to break into the double digits. Maybe it's shameless of me to brag like this, but I tell you what, when I was gasping through "the mile" in high school I never would have guessed...it feels GOOD!!!

A Rare Sight

That trip to Disneyland yesterday must have really done him in. What am I going to do with my rare moment of peace? Balance the budget. Yep, I'm officially lame. Problem is, this so rarely happens that I'm not prepared! I don't know what to do with myself.

Picture Tag

I was a little concerned when I got this tag because of the randomness of it...the rules are to post the 6th picture from the 6th folder in your computer. Like Amber, our folders aren't that simple either. We've got them organized by year, so I chose 2006, then the 6th picture in the 6th folder. Luckily the picture it fell on was pretty cute.

Cole would have been about 1 year old in this one. Was he ever that small??

Since I just barely tagged a bunch of people (and none of you have done it yet!) I'll just tag anyone who thinks this looks like fun.

Halloween--California Style

We've had our annual passes to Disneyland and California Adventure for quite some time now, but haven't really taken many pictures. We went today and decided to take the camera since the theme parks are all decked out for Halloween. Our kids were amazingly well-behaved. I think this is the least painful Disneyland trip we've had to date! Hooray!!

Here's a sampling of our adventures:





Cole was thrilled by the abundance of candy corn at California Adventure.




Cole and Weston were both fans of the waterfall (and Cole is becoming a master of the "say cheese for the camera" operation).

Weston, the three-toothed wonder. :) He does have more than three teeth, but only three front bottom teeth. We keep wondering where the fourth one is, but it's bound to pop in sometime.

I'm IT

I've been tagged by Tanya...

The rules are:
* Link to the person who tagged you
* Post the rules on your blog
* Write six random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself
* Tag six people at the end of your post
* Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
* Let the tagger know when your entry is posted

I've been putting off responding to this tag for a couple of reasons...first because I have a hard time thinking of six "unspectacular" things about myself. C'mon. Everything about me is spectacular, isn't it? Secondly, because this tag is going around pretty quickly so I'm not sure who I'll tag. We'll see if I come up with anyone by the end of my post. That being said, here goes...

1. According to my husband, I love to fill out forms. I was highly amused by this bit of information, which was passed on to me by the wife of a family Brian home teaches. She said that Brian told them that I absolutely love paperwork. But I must admit there's some truth to this. It's not as if, given an hour of time to myself, I'd say, "Where are some forms for me to fill out?" However, I really do get some strange satisfaction out of filling in the little blanks on a sheet of paper and seeing it all neat and complete. I like being a new patient at a doctor's office, for example. :)

2. My sleep habits have changed dramatically over the course of my life. Until I became a mother, anyone you asked would have told you hands down that I was a night owl. I loved staying up late and sleeping late. Now, Brian and I joke that we're old folks because we're usually in bed by 9 or 9:30 p.m. (yep, I'm living it up tonight) and up by 4:30 or 5 a.m. It used to be very difficult, but I've adjusted. I've found that I'm much happier to see my kids in the morning when they're not the ones waking me up. It's not unusual on a Saturday morning for me to randomly wake up at 4:45, check the clock, and go back to sleep. I think my body's just gotten used to it.

3. I can't stand long fingernails. If my fingernails get long enough to have dirt under them, they immediately get clipped. I think long fingernails are pretty, but I don't have the patience or the time to keep on top of the filing and polishing and cleaning. I do admire people who can keep their fingernails looking nice, but I'm just not one of them.

4. I am very proud to have recently coined a new word. I'm going to be lobbying to have it included in the next edition of Webster's Dictionary...I'll keep you all posted on the progress as it evolves.

5. Even though I've been an avid, even a voracious reader my entire life, I had hardly read any "classic" literature before I met Brian (much to my dad's dismay, who tried and tried to get me to read more substantial books as a teenager). I credit Brian with the evolution of my love for Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Brontes, and many others. I actually used to have serious disdain for Austen movies...the first time I watched Sense and Sensibility I mocked it the whole way through. Now I own most of the Jane Austen movie adaptations and can't understand how I didn't appreciate her before.

6. I was running out of ideas so I asked Brian what one of my quirks was...he immediately answered, "Leaving doors and drawers open." So, that's what I get for asking him, now I have to tell on myself. It drives Brian crazy that he always finds drawers and cupboard doors left open in the rooms I've been in. This is something I do without being at all conscious of it...so I can't explain it. I would deny that I do it at all but I've seen the evidence, so he's got me.

7. I'm a bit of a rebel. If someone tells me to do something a certain way, I'm likely to do it just a little bit different. :-D

I tag Janae, Angie, Tamarie, Jamie, Brooke, Lisa, Anissa and Brian. (Whew! I did it!)

Body Count

Don't worry, no graphic pictures this time, just an update for those of you who are wondering. Brian has been valiantly working on exterminating the black widows in our shed and I think the body count is up over 15. Plus a few egg sacs that promised even more black widow fun if we hadn't discovered them in time. Sheesh! Who knew we were harboring an army of cold blooded killers in our backyard?

Interfaith Fast

We recently heard about the following and would like to encourage any of you who can to participate in this important fast.


There will be an interfaith fast on Sunday, October 12th. People from all over the United States and from all faiths will be joining together to fast for the "building block of society," the Family. Religious fasting involves both prayer and fasting(abstaining from food and drink for a period of time).

Whatever your professed faith may be, your faith and fasting can bring forth the powers of heaven. On Sunday, October 12th, and please pray for a positive outcome for California Proposition 8, that hearts may be softened, that understanding and wisdom will prevail, and that marriage will continue to be defined as between a man and a woman to protect families. (And Prop 2 in Florida, as well as all the other states which are putting this matter before their voters)

Isaiah 58:6,8-9

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.


[You can read more about fasting here on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting ]"

Termination of DDO Support

We regret to inform you that due to insufficient funding, the Daily Diaper Output (DDO) service that has previously been featured on this blog has now been discontinued.

With unprecedented diaper production on Weston's part, the effort associated with monitoring, recording, and archiving the data has simply become cost-prohibitive. As proof of this point, let me cite Weston's DDO over the last 2 days: 4 wets and 6 poopies - unprecedented and overwhelming! To maintain accurate and timely reports under conditions such as these would be difficult, even if additional funding could be procured. Almost all of our time is exhausted in simply changing the diapers.

Not surprisingly, the substantial effort of documenting the erratic and diverse DDO for Sunshine has also been seriously underfunded, and thus, those charts have also been cancelled.

We call for your patience and forbearance at this time - the last thing we need is a revolt. We have also provided a recourse for those who simply cannot operate without this critical DDO information: we can continue to supply limited DDO reports on an individual basis. Simply mail your request (and a $10 service fee for each day of each producer's DDO information) to our home address. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of your charts. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding in this difficult time.

Food, Glorious Food...

I'm making this post mostly for the benefit of a few friends who have told me that if I didn't make a post soon, removing the black widow picture from the top of the blog, they wouldn't be coming back to visit our page. So, here you go!

I've been having a ball lately experimenting with different recipes and types of food. Many of you know that my latest passion is Indian food. My absolute favorite cookbook at the moment is Quick and Easy Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey (this was a gift last year on my birthday from my brother Brent--many thanks!). Tonight I tried a recipe called Lamb Stewed in Coconut Milk. You may already know that almost always, Indian food tastes much better than it looks. But I took a picture anyway. If only you could smell it...I love the smell of Indian spices filling up my house!!


It was the first time ever I'd cooked using lamb, and the dish was fantastic. I honestly don't feel like I'm bragging on myself when I say this...the recipes are amazing and pretty much anyone could put together a great meal if they follow the directions. Thanks to my friend Jamie for the long term loan of her pressure cooker, this meal was cooked, meat, potatoes, carrots and all in about 20 minutes. And I don't know if it's the pressure cooker that does it, but the meat was amazingly tender.

I'm also enjoying playing around with desserts. Brian chose this one, called Carmel Pecan Pumpkin Pie.
It is pretty much a hybrid of pecan pie and pumpkin pie, and we loved it. I think I'll make it for our Olsen family Thanksgiving celebration this year.

Yoga Fever

Cole has decided to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a master Yogi. He has to share Mom's yoga mat so it gets a little bit crowded, but he's learning very quickly.

*Karene insists that I add a disclaimer here: She says she is not actually a master Yogi. Just so you know.

That's it!

Look what I just spotted in a web at the back of our shed:


Yep. I think this is the first time I've actually seen one, and I'll tell you one thing--the spider love around here has come to an abrupt end.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering, the photo isn't mine...no way I was going close enough to this thing to take a picture!)

More Food for Thought

Here is a link to an interesting article about protecting marriage, especially addressing whether or not Proposition 8 is a manifestation of intolerance. I'm happy to see intelligent thinkers really addressing the issues and standing up for what what's right.

Weston's One Year Pictures

I gotta say, I think he's pretty adorable...

We couldn't decide whether to have him wear the patch for his pictures or not. We finally decided to have him wear it, but then take it off if he wasn't cooperating. He did okay, but they couldn't get any pictures of him really smiling with the patch on...he doesn't smile as easy when he's wearing it. However, when he's got it off, the wandering left eye is pretty apparent. I really like this next picture...he's not looking directly at the camera, but it shows a lot of his personality.


As for the one below...I've never seen so clearly the resemblance between Weston and his daddy. Brian's family likes to claim that the Hansen genes are weak (meaning they think all the grandkids look like the in-laws) but this kid bears a striking resemblance to Brian. (It's off center because Brian's done something funky with the margins on the blog to accomodate the diaper charts.)


I think that between the three pictures, he's captured fairly well. I still wish my sister Janae could have done a photo shoot with him when she was here, but JCPenney is an okay substitute.

More on Proposition 8

I've had some difficulty articulating my feelings about why it's so important that we fight to protect marriage here in California. Today a friend e-mailed me the link to a fantastic video put together by the Proposition 8 campaign about the social, moral, political and religious ramifications of legalizing gay marriage. I strongly encourage you to take the time to watch it--after watching this I felt much more solid in my understanding of why the church is taking such a bold stand on this, and why it's so important for us to be involved. Click here to watch the video, and please, spread the word!

Impostor!

Since I know you've all been anxiously awaiting an update on our friendly arachnid, I'll oblige you. We left the little critter (okay, BIG critter) on our front porch during Stake Conference on Sunday, but when we got home I decided he had to go. I just couldn't handle him right there every time I walked in the door. He had caught a couple of tasty treats overnight so I figured his web had served its purpose. We tried to just scare him off, but he wouldn't be scared. This was my first clue (aside from the pictures Brian took, which just didn't look quite the same as the previous ones, superior photo-taking abilities aside) that this might not be the same spider. The spider we all knew and loved ran for it the second I came within a foot of his web. This one wouldn't budge even when I tapped on his web with a stick! So, I broke the anchoring strand on the bottom of his web. He still stubbornly stayed put. We sat and watched in fear and amazement to see what would happen next. Suddenly he began a very quick descent, then stopped about halfway between the roof and the railing, suspended on one of his nifty spider threads. I shrieked and pulled Cole back several feet, then told Brian, "Go get a jar...it'll be easy to catch him there!" So he grabbed a jar and caught him. We still thought this was our buddy, so we took some footage of him scrambling around inside the jar (he was not happy about being held captive) and then took him across the street to the dog park and let him go. It was a sad parting but he'd made the faux-pas of invading our personal space...what could we do?

But then the pieces started falling into place. His lack of fear, the difference in the way he looked in the photos...then I went and checked where the previous web had been (you'll remember how I'd noticed he never builds a new web before taking down the old one) and voila! The old web was still there! I suppose my check with a flashlight the night before hadn't been thorough enough. Sure enough, Sunday evening our familiar, scaredy-spider buddy was back. It's nice to know that our "real" spider friend had the grace not to come too close for comfort like that.

As of this post, I think I've made four posts about the spider without making any posts about my family. So, I hereby swear that we'll post a real update before posting spider news (though the way things are looking we may have to adopt him). Ha ha...

No longer our neighbor

**Warning all arachnophobes...the photos in this post are very detailed (meaning they will freak you out even if you don't click on them)**

Does the title of my post give you hope (or sadness) that the spider chronicles are over? Stay tuned...

I've been a little concerned that my interest in the spider is driving him away. After the picture I posted last time, where I caught him mid-scurry, I didn't see him at all for the rest of that day (yes, I was checking). The next morning (yesterday), the web between the two houses was gone, and this was his new hangout:


Thankfully he still preferred to build his web on the neighbor's side of the fence. I wanted to get a good shot so I ran over to the neighbor's side to snap my pictures, and sure enough, somehow he sensed me there and took off to the eaves again. After the second such encounter he disappeared, and his web remained empty all day yesterday and most of the day today. I am learning a lot about the habits of our friend though...I have never seen him build a new web until he's taken down the old one. So even though I was worried that he had disappeared, I had a feeling that as long as his web was still there, he'd be back. This evening, just before dusk, sure enough, there he was. I was happy. It's strange--I've always hated spiders so I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this one. I went and put my kids to bed, content in my knowledge that my friend had returned. An hour or so later, I was on the cell phone and it wasn't getting good service inside the house, so I stepped outside onto the front porch. I was sitting, unsuspecting, on the porch swing, chatting away, (it's completely dark outside by this time) and was startled by movement just above the railing of the porch about a foot in front of my face. I froze, looked closer, and sure enough, it was the spider! Now, I've got to tell you, that this encounter was much too close for my comfort. In order to get up from the porch swing I had to lean slightly forward (toward the spider), so it took me a few moments to get up the nerve, but I ran inside and grabbed my camera, because I was pretty sure that the spider was in the process of building a new web. I'll post the video footage tomorrow...it's taking too long to upload tonight. Try to continue living your life as usual in the meantime. :)

As creepy as it was, and as much as I don't know how I feel about this monster spider building its web on our front porch, I sat outside for about 30 minutes watching him at work and it has got to be one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen. I don't know if I'm going to be able to destroy, or ask Brian to destroy, such painstaking workmanship. But do I really want to harbor this thing right in front of my house? I don't know...

Brian got home from Stake Conference and showed me that he should have been the one taking the photos all this time. Check these out!




These have got to be some of the best spider photos I've ever seen. Do all spiders have that super-short third pair of legs? Oh, the things we're learning about spiders around here.

I was right about his habits though. After watching him build this web, I took the flashlight and checked the spot where his other web had been, and it's completely gone. I am really intrigued by this. He doesn't ever abandon a web, he very deliberately removes the old one before moving on. Isn't that cool? This is also why I feel confident that I'm watching the same spider and not a few different ones. He's becoming somewhat predictable, and it's really kind of fun. Cole loves going outside every day to check for the spider web--it's a little biology lesson going on right outside our door. So long as he doesn't actually move in, we'll probably keep watching and learning, and you lucky blog readers will get to join the fun.

Yes, he's no longer our neighbor...he's our resident.

The spider adventures continue...is it Halloween already?!?

Well, because some of us are morbidly curious about the behavior of this spider, I'll continue blogging our neighbor's activities. I was encouraged by my brother Bart's comment on my last post, which, if you missed it, said "Maybe I'm sick, but I think it's fascinating!" Well, Bart, maybe you are sick but if so, I am too. Must run in the family. Consider yourself warned though, if you got the creeps from my last post, you probably don't want to click on this pictures in this post.

The morning after I discovered the grasshopper caught in the web, I went outside and this is what I saw:



Yep, the spider was still hard at work on that grasshopper. If you click on the picture, you'll notice that the grasshopper is quite diminished. And, unless I'm imagining it, the spider looks bigger. I'm also a little disturbed by the state of the grasshopper's head (or lack thereof). Ick.

Here's another view. I took these pictures (the one above and this one) within seconds of each other, but I'm mystified by this one. Where's the grasshopper? You can see little flashes of green, but it looks like mostly spider. Maybe it was a trick of the camera lens.


A few hours later I checked outside again, and both the spider and the grasshopper were gone. All that remained was a somewhat tattered, very abandoned-looking web. I wondered if the spider had moved on to greener pastures, and as I checked on and off throughout the day and he didn't come back, I thought our spider adventures were over. In the evening, I checked again, and lo and behold...


At this point the web was reduced to maybe 1/6 of it's original size. It didn't look like it was anchored to anything...it was just this little wispy thing hanging from the eaves of the house. But the spider was hanging out there anyway. The next morning (Wednesday) the spider and the remainder of its web had disappeared, and I figured for sure the spider had packed his bags and moved away. Then this morning, I looked out again (as you can tell, I kind of missed the guy) and saw that this spider was just as clever as our previous residents!


Here's his new web, spanning our two houses again. I have to admit I think this is a pretty smart web-building strategy...I had to take two or three photos at different times this morning to get one where you could actually see the web. It is often virtually invisible, and of course, that's all the better to catch unsuspecting insects. You'll notice the spider is absent from the web in this picture...I think that the way he has anchored his web to the fence below and even as far as the sidewalk (how do they do that?) makes him more aware of our comings and goings, because when I try to walk closer to get a good picture, he inevitably scurries away (thankfully he tends to scurry to the eaves of the neighbor's house and not ours). I did catch one shot of him mid-scurry though...


See how invisible that web is? Pure genius. I'm very curious to see what he's going to catch in his web this time. I don't know if he can outdo the giant grasshopper, but I'm not underestimating his abilities.

Here's how Weston feels about our spider (notice his patch):


How appropriate, huh? Well, Happy Halloween (a little early this year)...nothing like spiders to get you in the holiday spirit!

Our New Neighbor

**Warning: Violent Content! There are pictures of dead things in this post.**

(Okay, it's really not that bad, but in case you think it's that bad, you can't say I didn't warn you.)

There's nothing like living in California when it comes to neighborly closeness. We were thrilled to finally live in a house rather than an apartment, only to learn that the houses here are built so close together that we can still hear our neighbors' phone ringing, and, unfortunately for them, they can hear our kids crying. Another indicator of how close the houses are is that several times this summer I've noticed clever spiders bridging the gap between our houses with their webs (yep, that close). This morning as I was rinsing dishes in the sink, I glanced out the window and saw that we have a new neighbor. A big, fat, leggy neighbor.





Check out the size of that spider! Now, this guy didn't try to build his web between our houses--his web is securely fastened to our neighbor's house alone (and it is a beautiful web!). Perhaps that's why when I looked out there again tonight, his web was still there, but this time, with a new addition:


Make sure to click on the photo and look at the detail. (I'm surprised that I got a much more detailed photo at night than in the day--I would've totally missed the severed leg if I hadn't taken a picture.) I must say, I have never seen an insect even close to the size of this grasshopper get caught in a spider web! I thought that bugs that size would destroy a spider web long before they got caught. Apparently if you are as big as that spider, your web has the strength of steel.

This picture has enough gory detail to make my skin crawl, so I can only imagine what it's doing to Jamie, our arachnophobe friend. I couldn't resist, but I hope you'll forgive me!