June Snapshot

The end of May and June have gone by so fast! Lehi graduated from pre-school (tears) and is now headed off to kindergarten. 

He always smiles so funny

Emmagrace also completed her first year of pre-school and LOVED it! She is still asking me everyday who gets to go to school that day. 

I can't get over how cute she is!!

Drew took some time off at the end of May to just be with the family and no soccer and it was so nice! We took a mini staycation. My parents took the kids for a couple days and we got to have a little time to ourselves. It was nice to be able to talk and spend time with each other without having to answer a million questions every minute. The first day we went to the temple and then went and saw the movie Oceans 8 (highly recommend it!!) We then went home and slept in our own bed. Although going out and spending a night in a place that you don't have to worry about cleaning up after it is much better to spend the night in your own bed. The next morning we got up at our own time and not on kid time (oh so nice!) and went out to breakfast. A few years ago when Drew's mom came out to Utah we drove past a little diner up one of the canyons here and I remember thinking I really wanted to try it. We got up there and although the wait was long it was worth it for sure! The food was excellent and the atmosphere was even better! We sat on the outside patio and they had live music and the view was incredible. We will for sure be going back!

We took advantage of the free day that they have each year at This is the Place Heritage park. There were a ton of people there and we had promised the kids three things....ice cream, pony rides, and a train ride. Because there were so many people there that was pretty much all we did before we left. We got our ice cream, waited in line for about an hour to ride the pony, and then got on the train, and went home. While waiting in line for the pony we saw some of our friends from our ward and ended up taking the train ride with them. I wish we could have hung out with them longer because they are moving and we will miss them! 

I love how she walks with her hands in her pockets

Emmagrace was so excited she got to ride the pony Elsa

Lehi liked it too, he was just super hot!

Riding the train with our friends

Love these girls!

The rest of this month has been filled with soccer. Drew is coaching a soccer camp every Tuesday-Thursday and takes Lehi with him and then coaches his regular teams every Monday-Thursday. Lehi has joined a competition soccer team and has practice every Monday and Wednesday night. Also, this month is the World Cup. Like I said our life is soccer, soccer, soccer right now. It does make me happy that Lehi is choosing to play. It was always my worry that he would feel pressured into doing soccer because that is what dad does but he is always asking Drew to come out and practice with him, or asking if he can go out and practice by himself. He even starts kicking the ball if it is around when he gets mad. He is becoming a little player which I am amazed at. 

That has been this month in a minute....well maybe more than a minute. We have done some other things but we were too busy enjoying them to take pictures. :)

Birthdays and more birthdays

Recently our life has been a big bag of crazy! What family isn't though right?!

We took a Sunday off from going to my parents a few weeks ago and took the kiddos to Temple Square to walk around and feel the spirit. In one of the visitor centers there is a giant statue of Jesus and as we were walking around the kids kept asking to go and see "big Jesus" The main way to get to "big Jesus" is by walking up this long ramp. As were walking up the ramp I felt so overcome with the spirit that it started leaking out my eyes. We sat down and the kids wanted to get a closer look so we let them walk up closer and I was able to capture this picture of them all looking up at Jesus and him looking down at them. I know he loves them so much! I know that he loves me so much! I can just imagine how it would be if he were here on the earth right now. He would have scooped those kids into his arms and given each one of them a giant hug. If Christ can love them more than I do then those are some of the most loved kids I know! Some days are REALLY hard!! Especially when each one of them want to do something different all at the same time and they each keep trying to get you to do their thing with them but you have your own agenda but I know that it is on those days that I am learning to be a little more like my Savior and to have patience with them like he has with me.

Later that night Emmagrace fell down on a skateboard and busted her eye up really bad! Don't worry it has now healed but she does have a little bit of a scar. 

We all got together for my brother Jer's birthday and all of the girl cousins were walking around holding hands and playing. It was SUPER cute!! I love that they love each other so much

Our nightly routine with Sophie. She has really bad skin so every night she gets lathered up in all kinds of creams and lotions to help manage her eczema. 

I was putting on makeup one morning and Emmagrace decided she wanted to learn how to put her own makeup on. This is the princess putting on her own eyeshadow

We had Sophie's birthday party yesterday because the next weekend is Mother's Day and Drew's birthday. She got a pinata, some really cute clothes, and new bed sheets

I have this week off of work so that one of the other girls can have her maternity time taken care of so today we went to the library. The kids were so excited to play with the toys and pick out their own books. I bet you can't guess how many times we have read those stories already. Emmagrace even went to bed with hers. 

Lehi's new outfit he made tonight. Luckily I was able to convince him that he shouldn't sleep in it and he could wear it again tomorrow.  

Sophie just looked super adorable today!

Spring Break and other activites

I like writing this blog sometimes because it gives me a reminder to back up my photos. You see with google photos and blogger you can transfer the pictures without actually downloading them to the computer which is awes! I remember back in the day when you had to plug in the phone download the pictures to the computer then you could upload them....ahh the good ole days ;)

Since we last chatted we had a week of spring break where we didn't do much but for now I think that is okay. I see many people who go out and have these grand adventures and think maybe we should do that too but then I think about the grand adventures we have here in our home. Last night we got to see a moose ski and learned about protecting the environment from the Lorax. During the day we dug in the dirt and got to be super heros. I think that is my favorite because they all look so cute!

See aren't they adorable! Sophie was running around saying "La la la....underpants!" For those of you who don't know in the new movie Captain Underpants every time the principal turns into Captain Underpants he says "La la la" It is the cutest thing in the world to hear her say it. Emmagrace loves being Princess Ballerina Owlette and Lehi is just crazy! 

On the last day of spring break I had the day off and Drew had the entire day off which is rare that he doesn't have a soccer game in the evenings so we decided to go bowling together as a family. It was so much fun watching the kids bowl. They loved pushing the ball down the dinosaur ramp toward the pins. Emmagrace wouldn't even watch as the ball went down the lane she would just start yelling that she got one. It worked for her I guess because she totally creamed Lehi and I. I mean how does a 3 year old get two strikes in a row! We then got pizza in their little arcade place and got to play arcade games and watch Disney Channel. It is days like this that makes me fall in love with my family even more! 

This girl would not let anyone help her take her ball to the ramp

As you can see she is cheering before her ball even gets to the pins

Lehi dancing as well as he waits for his ball to get to the pins

Sophie yelling "I did it"

As you can see Emmagrace totally kicked our trash

One of the rides at the arcade

Watching Disney Channel as we wait for our pizza

We also played outside a lot while the weather was really nice and Sophie really enjoyed driving her siblings around.

Recently I was called as our ward Activity Day's leader and I have loved it so far. We have only had one activity but that one activity really helped my love for the girls and for Jesus grow. Our lesson was on the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of  Christ. Most of that morning and early afternoon I was having a really crummy day. I didn't feel that great emotionally and was just really angry and annoyed at my kids and at my job. As I was getting the lesson ready I was still feeling that way. When we got to the church and started talking I was able to share my testimony with the girls and I could really feel the spirit there with us. We then made Easter lilies with our hand prints. Lehi really got into it as well. I love being able to share my testimony with those girls and hopefully my kiddos get a little of it to. 

Week in the Hanna House

Those of you with blogs, do you ever just think to yourself my life is so boring why would anyone want to read a blog about my life. I think that a lot and maybe that is why I don't write here that much. I mean who wants to read that I woke up, made my kids breakfast, cleaned, went to work, made lunch, took one of the kids to school, picked up said kid from school, came home, made dinner, cleaned more, then put the kids to bed. Woot...super exciting!!

I guess it has some exciting moments like trying to play the game find the diaper (Sophie is starting to take her diaper off thinking she wants to use the potty) or today in church when Lehi showed me his toilet paper after going poop because it was "green" I know gross but I guess that is what being a mom is sometimes...gross.

This week my life did have some really fun parts. Lehi had his first big boy soccer game and he scored one goal and was really close to scoring a second. It was REALLY funny to watch. If you ever find yourself in need of a really good laugh for free go to a 5 year old soccer game especially for the team The Green Grass Dragons (yes that is what Lehi's team decided to call themselves) I wish I would have been recording the game but I had two other kids in my lap that were not having as much fun as I was.

 Another pretty funny thing that happened was tonight we were passing a cosmetic plastic surgery office and Lehi asked if it was a dentist office. I told him no and that it was an office for people who wanted to change their body. Lehi then proceeded to tell us that he wanted to change his body. We asked him what he wanted to change about his body. He said that he didn't know but that he knew he wanted a change. Drew told him that if he ate all of his veggies and kept exercising that he would grow up and his body would change. Nope that was not good enough! He wanted to pay to change his body. We again asked what he wanted to change about himself and no joke he said that he wanted to become a hedgehog boy. I told him that I could spike his hair and he said no that he wanted spikes to become a hedgehog boy. WHAT!?! We said that it would cost a lot of money and that he would have to work really hard to earn the money to change. He said that he would clean the house every day to earn the money. I told him that if he cleaned the entire house I would pay him $75 (we will see if this really happens) How crazy is this kid, wanting to become a hedgehog boy!

We also had a party for Drew this week. Many of you don't know but Drew's dream job is to be a full time soccer coach/director. He loves being out on the field with those kids and teaching them about a game that he loves. Well this year he has been promoted from just a soccer coach to a director in the soccer club that he coaches for and we had a promotion party to celebrate! It was so much fun, we had pizza and cookie cake and even his mom was able to come out to Utah to celebrate with us! We wish everyone could have come out with her but that wasn't possible :(   She also took the kids on a trip to get one pair of shoes and we came back with two pairs of shoes each, Easter clothes, workout clothes, and some other odds and ends. We do love being spoiled while they are out here! She also got me a new blender for my birthday which I am excited to use! I am really glad that she was able to be here for Lehi's first soccer game more than anything. Now for the photo dump!

Sitting on the bench waiting for his turn!

Gooo Green Grass Dragons!

Sophie wanted to be a princess cat...so she was crawling on the floor meowing with her princess dress

We got our Junior Razorback packages for the spring! Woo Pig Sooie!! Go Hogs!

Too cool for school

At the farm..Lehi really wanted to take a picture on this bench

Life as we know it

I know most people who are trying to keep a blog up start most of their blog posts....well if they haven't been blogging lately....with the words "I am really bad at this blogging thing, or I am really bad at keeping up" but this is very true with me. Last year I had a goal to blog once a week to keep people updated on our lives and I made it to week 3 and that was about it. At least I started right? Uggg that word....right? This has become Lehi's favorite word lately and it drives me NUTS!! He will say something then ask the question...right? For example, "Mom the sky is blue, right?" or "Mom, those trains are moving, right?" I have gotten to the point where I will ask him back, "Are they moving?" or "Is it blue?" Then he will tell me that I know nothing and that he is much smarter than me. He isn't even five yet and he thinks he is smarter than me..I am scared for when he is a teenager and truly thinks he is smarter than me. Emmagrace started it a little but hasn't really gotten a grasp on it quite yet. Her new love is to cry or make this really ridiculous frowning face every time she does not get her way or if she thinks you are mad at her. She gets sad at bed time because she says that she will miss me so I have to reassure her that when she wakes up in the morning I will be here and we can cuddle. I think the weekend that Drew and I went away for a soccer tournament and some alone time did a number on her. Sophie has gotten a little tude too and man can that girl throw a fit!! Today she laid on the floor screaming for a good 5-6 minutes because I took the chair that she was using to climb on the counter with. I still love her though and she has started telling me she wants to cuddle EVERY TIME she isn't getting her way or she is upset about something. It is like she knows my weakness and is trying to exploit it. Those darn kids!!!

I guess I should say some positives about things going on in our home. Lehi got into multiple charter schools!!! We are excited! We think we have settled on a school about 25 minutes away from where we are living now but it will be such a great opportunity for him. Plus he gets to wear a cute little uniform! Another Lehi achievement is that he has not had an accident for 4 days in a row! We even got to wear underwear today and didn't have an accident! He might actually go to Kindergarten potty trained! We have literally been praying for this! Now to move on to his little sister who is just as stubborn as he is. Emmagrace is excelling in school. She has about three letters left to learn before she passes them all off. We are concerned with her and what to do about school. The preschool that she is in now allowed her to start early but schools won't let her start early unless she tests in and we don't know if charter schools will do that so that has been a concern for us...I know it is still two years away but I don't want her to have to go to 3 years of preschool if she doesn't have to. Sophie is starting to find interest in every thing and getting to be a lot more fun. She is learning her colors and letters and will make sure you are watching her when she is trying to show her something. Drew has quit his full time job to become a director in the club that he is coaching. I was really nervous about it at first but I can see how happy he is and how fulfilled it makes him. He comes home from his "office hours" and is super excited about it. He also gets to spend more time with our family. When he was working his full time job and doing soccer we got to see him on Sundays and that was about it. Now we get to see him every morning and I am getting more help around the house which is nice. I am still working for a storage facility and gaining a lot of interesting stories. I am also making cakes on the side and reading some interesting books.

Valentines dates

This has nothing to do with our "life" right now but it is something that has had a giant impact on our lives recently and I have felt inspired lately to share. Back in January we were set to go out to Arkansas like we do every year for Christmas. Drew's grandparents were set to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary that same week so we were excited to be able to be out there to celebrate with them. Drew had a meeting that he was supposed to go to on Monday but we both had the feeling that he should try and move it so we could leave sooner. He was able to move it and we were able to leave Friday afternoon instead. We got there late on Saturday evening and were able to go and see a lot of old friends on Sunday at our old church building. On Monday evening we were just hanging out in Drew's parents home and got a phone call that we were all expecting but hoping that it wouldn't come. Drew's grandmother who he had been very close to was not expected to make it through that night and everyone needed to get to the hospital to say goodbye. As we were scrambling to decide if I should stay or go with the kids, I knew that taking the kids would not be a good idea and I am grateful that we didn't take them. As Drew and his parents and brother were on their way she ended up passing away. I know this was the hardest information so far that Drew has ever had to hear he was so close to her. I don't think it hit me as hard that night because I knew that it was coming and I had hoped that if it was going to happen soon it would happen while we were out there. During the visitation there was a moment at the end where we got to say our final goodbyes and as I was standing there and the only thing that I could think of was to tell her thank you. Thank you for giving a perfect example of unconditional love, thank you for teaching her family about Christ, thank you for teaching me about forgiveness and service. If it was not for her I know that Drew would not have been quite the man he is today and we might not be in the life that we are today. She was truly a testament of enduring to the end. I know that she was not my family by blood but even now I can feel her spirit and her love for our family. When days are hard and I think I am done I can feel her telling me that she had to deal with Drew and his dad as a teenager and I will make it.

This is the last picture we had taken with Nanny

Week 4

This week in our family:

Drew: This week has been full of phone calls. Calling this person and that person about leads that he has gotten about houses or wanting to buy. They say one in every 20 phone calls ends up in a lead that is usable or so. By now I feel he should have 20 or 30 good leads! (not really but some days it feels like that).

Nichole: This week I started my own business....kind of.... Yesterday I created this gorgeous bouquet of cupcakes.

My husband told me that I should start selling them. I took a poll online via a group I am part of facebook and they said that is a good idea too haha. So I am taking orders for bouquets of cupcakes. I can do ones that look like hydrangeas or daisies and others as well I just don't have pictures.   

If you read this and would like to order you can just message me or email me at nichole.hanna03@gmail.com. You can also follow me on instagram @hannastyle_sweetsandtreats

I am also doing chocolate covered strawberries. 

Anyway...even if nothing comes of that, I am still really proud of myself!

Lehi: This week we worked a little on potty training. I don't think that he really wants to and I am not really pushing it. I did find a timer that after going potty he gets to play a game and that went great for a day and then he didn't really care anymore. My boss said that I need to spend three days always at his side and not doing anything else but potty training but with two other kids to take care of during that time I'm not seeing how that would work for us. Others tell me that I need to just wait until he is ready. I think that is more of what I am going to do. He knows how to go he just has to make the choice to do it on his own. Lehi also got his first assignment in Primary!

Emmagrace: This week has been full of girly things for her. She loves the color pink and having bows in her hair. This was a night where she couldn't go to sleep without that bow in her hair! 

We also did nails and some cute hairstyles! 

Sophie: This girl has been getting herself into trouble this week. One day I was in the kitchen and I heard her whining a little. She whines when she pulls up and can't figure out how to get back down. So I look over at her and this is what I see.

She had somehow gotten herself stuck on top of the bucket and couldn't get down. Poor girl! Of course I had to take a picture before I got her down but the fact that she did it was pretty amazing!

We also built a fort! 

Celebrated my brother's birthday... the big 15!!

And I got a new outfit from one of my friends who sells LuLaRoe! Valentine's leggings! I can't wait to wear them next month!