All Hallows Eve.

Cayden was Spiderman, Avery was Optimus Prime, and yes, that is Melodie as a whoppie cushion. I made her be a Disney Princess for the first seven years of her life and now she is paying me back.

First: Name that costume. Second: Name that sit-com.

The most sincere pumkin patch.

Cute boys sitting on a hay bail waiting to pick the perfect pumpkin. This never gets old for me. And unfortunately I only have one more left to do this with. Sniff.

This is Cayden's good friend Noah.

He is a sweet boy.

Ah yes, after much deliberation Cayden found the perfect one.

Need a Chirstmas gift Idea?

I found this steal-of-a-deal for my two older kids for Christmas. They have been begging me for an MP3 player. I found this no-namer touch screen MP4 player that is also a digital camera. It is awesome! I found it at The Lakeside Collection online. The price is $59.99 plus shipping. I was not willing to spend hundreds on an IPOD that I am quite certain that my children will not appreciate. So this was just what the doctor ordered. Because they are so cheap they are back ordered, so if you are considering it, don't delay.

Dear Santa,

This year I would love a Nikon D90 digital camera. I hope Santa is reading this.

Eleven eleven-year-olds eliminating my sanity!

Happy Birthday Melodie Anne Hansen

Melodie's birthday party was a hit. The girls had a great time and there is nothing like seeing your child being the center of attention (even though she does not prefer it). Mental note: feed sugar to children right before they go home.

Friends forever!

This picture was too cute to pass up. Lilly was very confused as to why she was not the center of attention. But she got over it.

Games, games and more games.

A realization....

I have always been a relatively clean person. I definately have better weeks than others. But my vice - the bane of my existence, is the dreaded laundry room. It always has been, and there was a time, that I felt that it always would be. I once read a website http://www.flylady.com/ It is a moderately famous site. I had followed it several years ago and tried to clean my house using it's techniques. Well - blah, blah, blah I couldn't live up to it and gave up. Laundry has always been an issue and it is literally the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. The proverbial monkey on my back. I finally had had it and with all of the stress that I have been under I had to get out from under one thing and laundry is what I lined my sites on. So I brought up the flylady website again and went in and spent 8 hours doing laundry and cleaning. And after - Ahhh sweet, unadulterated relief. The feeling was one that I have never felt before. I slept great that night. After a week I kept up my laundry and would go to bed and out of habit would get that sinking feeling in my gut about dirty laundry. The feeling would soon dissipate. Then something amazing happened. Because I had more time to ponder about other issues in my life I was able to work through them. I realized the dirty laundry was a mask to defer my thoughts on things that didn't matter rather than on the things that really needed to matter. Needless to say, I am a new woman.

Josh's Wife.

I was asked recently if I minded being known in the little town of Ione as Josh's wife rather than Michelle Hansen. Josh's family-roots run very deep in this community. So when I became a part of the Hansen's I became "Josh's wife." The reality of the situation is that I have never paid attention to the fact that I am introduced as that frequently. In fact, I revel in the title. I take great honor in it. Josh and the Hansen's in their entirety are known for having great integrity and I am proud to be a part of that. My husband is the greatest man that I know and I will die a happy woman being written on the pages of history as Josh's wife.

I Love Soda!

I found a new love. This soda is so yummy. The problem is that it only comes out during the holidays. So I drink it until I am sick because after Christmas it is a goner.

Can I make it through this week?

This week is going to be doosey. I help with a huge fundraiser for our town and it happens to be Friday night. Rancho Arroyo Seco (a large developer in the area) donates $10,000 to different entities every year. They also help raise another $10,000 for a total of $20,000. They are so generous and this year they have decided to focus their efforts on Ione Elementary School. They have asked me for the last two years to help out on the committee. I love it but boy is it a big job. On top of everything else it is the last week of the semester. Hopefully I will make it through the week and not be in a strait jacket.

The Aftermath.......

What a rip roaring day it was yesterday! I got up early and started my chores for the day. I finished with zeal because I had plans to make my famous split pea soup and play Settlers of Catan with my family. The day started out like that but soon turned into something not so fun. At around noon the electricity went out...as expected with 40 mile an hour winds. We waited patiently as we always do for it to come back on and it did about 45 min later. I needed to run to the store but our cars were in the garage. Josh did not want to disengage the automatic opener because he knew the electricity would come on soon as it always does. So after it came on I ran down to the market to pick up some items for dinner and got home. Just as I was switching my laundry the electricity went out again. I figured that it would come back on just at it had done earlier. And it did.......TEN hours later. I felt like I was losing my mind without electricity. It was pathetic. I finally had to just give it up and realize that I was not going to get anything done and just relax. I mean in perspective there are people that live in third world countries that never have electricity. We are a spoiled generation. Homework did not get done, laundry did not get done, but we are healthy and happy with the lights on this morning.

Our poor little plum tree has seen better days. Luckily, unlike humans, plum trees still live after they are violently torn in half.

And finally the corn. Wish we could have saved it but it was a lost cause. All in all we came out of this storm virtually unscathed. No trees fell on our house, no flooding, a little power outage that made me less than sane but we are still healthy and happy.

The reason I wake up in the morning.

I love listening to my kids when they think there are no adults around. Especially when they are being nice to each other. Usually Sunday mornings are filled with me racing out of bed because I have slept in and screaming at the kids for doing the same. This little candid moment was when I least expected it and it gave me great pause. I forget sometimes that my job is not just to mother but also to teach my children to love each other. I guess this means I am doing something right.

A favorite that gets me through homework...

These little gems are my new favorite sunflower seed. I have tried many a seed in my day and have to say these top the list. I used to favor Spitz Dill Pickle flavored sunflower seeds but I noticed the flavor left the seed and soon as it hit my tongue. Bigs have little granules of goodness with timed release flavor (I have no idea if that is correct but it sounded good). So the flavor just keeps going and going....

And so it begins....

Well I decided to chronicle some of my thoughts and borderline bi-polar emotions as I go through the next year of finishing my credential. The truth is that I agree to too much. Call it a "super mom" disorder, I don't know.....I just want to be everything to every one. Is that soo much to ask for? Most of my posts will seem crazy and you will probably question why it is you associate with me, but I feel this will be therapeutic. I do, in fact, have priorities. God, My husband and children are top of the list. School is finishing at a close third and sometimes I wonder why I am doing it. This has been literally THE hardest thing that I have ever had to do in my life. Not because school is necessarily hard for me but because school and four kids is almost impossible. But I am here and I know I am doing what I am supposed to. Teaching is my calling in life and in the words of Forest Gump, that is all I have to say about that.....for now.