Bloom where you're planted...

Our Secret Weapon

2012-02-03T15:47:00.000-06:00

In preparation for the Wagner Family Dance-off...

Can't wait to see everyone at Ricky's and Kristin's wedding!!!

Sledding!!!

2012-02-02T15:50:00.001-06:00

Last Monday we had a 2 hour delay to school because of snow and icy roads. I didn't tell the kids until they had totally gotten ready--then I surprised them and took them sledding.

Much better than when they know they have 2 extra hours to they do nothing to get ready in the morning and end up being late to school :)

Ty pulling Miya up the hill.

Miya loves the snow! Notice the frozen snot on her face AND the smile.

Even when we hit the powder drifts going down, she didn't even cry.

That's my Wisconsin gal!

Notice the frozen trees--not fun driving conditions

The triple-stacker. Not for the wimpy sledders. I would not want to be the one on the bottom.

Ty took this picture of me when we got back in the car--I laughed my head off. I am a true snow-beast. (My hair is not really that gray--it really is snow and frost)

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-26T15:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, still playing catch-up...

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful that Rob, Holly, Taylor, Porter, Hannah & Frodo came to spend Thanksgiving with us!!!

This is our makeshift banquet table--the food was delicious and prepared by all.

Rob and Holly making the famous Hacking rolls--they did not disappoint

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a little (Packers) football.

Taylor multitasking--watching football and reading

Hannah and Shayla preparing the turkey favors

Porter, Garrett and Grant playing Risk on the Ipad

Braving the cold to play in the canyon--frisbee and races

The kids are really fast when they are this cold :)

Miya LOVES Frodo--if she wasn't with him, she was running around the house screaming, "Puppy! puppy? Puppy!!!" looking for him.

Rob and Miya enjoying the Holidazzle parade--a Twin Cities tradition--parade of lights that takes place every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There was a great fireworks show to kick it all off.

All the kids going to the North Pole at Macy's

This Santa was the best! He even asked each of us adults what we wanted for Christmas.

I had to take a picture of the stroller (alias: coat holder) I don't know what we'll do when we outgrow the stroller days.

Garrett thought he'd be funny and ask for a Polly Pocket for Christmas...
Ty and Porter asked for Barbies, Shayla asked for tofu, and Grant asked for a DS.
Miya and Tyler both asked for a puppy :)
I can't remember what Taylor, Holly and Hannah asked for...I asked for a day off :)
And Rob volunteered to watch our stuff so we could go in and see Santa.
This Santa was SUCH a good sport!

Miya was only a little scared of Santa.

It was such a great Thanksgiving! Food, Family and Football--everything you need to make a great Thankgiving!

random shots

2012-01-26T09:04:00.000-06:00

Miya loves to climb in boxes, and play with legos. She has been playing with legos from birth (luckily she wasn't one to try and eat them)

After all is said and done, the legos are the one toy that the kids come back to time and time again. What's not to love? There's always something new you can build.

Miya loves to make us laugh. This is her eating carrots a while ago. It's a wonder she didn't choke!

She is such a happy girl--laughing and singing about everything. Yet very passionate if you mess with her puppies or her babies. Such a little personality.

catching up-Miya's 2nd birthday (Nov. 30th, 2011)

2012-01-25T15:51:00.001-06:00

Breakfast in crib - when we walked in with her tray, Miya popped up and started saying, "Mine! Mine!" as she grabbed the items off of the tray. Yeah, she is 100% a two-year old.

The delivery crew

Birthday pout--I think someone snitched something off of her tray.

Miya is a chocoholic! Hence the chocolate-chocolate cake (modeling her new birthday dress from Grandma. As soon as Miya tried it on she started spinning :)

Big eyes!!

The fork is optional

Miya with her new puppy!!!

Happy Belated birthday, Miya!!!

Tender Mercies

2012-01-20T15:15:00.000-06:00

Hanging out in the kitchen of the church during a recent home showing.

We put our house on the market in October and aside from a few showing and open houses at the first, haven't had any activity. So when we got a call that we would be showing our home last Sunday we had a bit of getting ready to do. Luckily they gave us 24 hour notice so we got the house mostly ready Saturday. We got home from church Sunday at 1pm, and had until 3:00 to be out of the house. No problem. Well...there was a message for us that someone else had wanted to see the house at noon. I called the realtor back and she said she'd check with the people if they could still come over. She called back--"Yes, they'll be there at 1:30," she said. HEART ATTACK!

Getting ready for church in the morning is a monumental task, as you all know, and we had left a bit of a tornado in our wake. Cereal boxes were still out, towels from the kids baths, etc. And I had planned to sweep and vacuum just right before we left (because i would have to redo it anyway if I did it Saturday, right? and it is so nice to have fresh vacuum lines in the carpet for a showing :) so we had a TON to do before the house would be show ready, and we only had 1/2 an hour.

Let me just say that there were not fresh lines in the carpet that day, but I was so impressed by how each of my kids dug in and helped so furiously to get our house as ready as possible and all of us out the door. (when really all they wanted to do was eat).

Ty spot-vacuumed the house, Shayla finished cleaning the bedrooms, Garrett helped pick up the bathroom and took out the trash, Grant packed us a snacky-lunch to take with us (it was so cute to see him counting out just enough cheese sticks/clementines for all of us), and Miya ran around watching us all (and didn't get things back out when we had put them away.)

I was so grateful for their help and knew that it was no small miracle that we got everything cleaned up and looking great in half an hour.

If only I could get them to work that efficiently on a Saturday morning...

We had fun playing games at the church and then enjoyed Sunday dinner at a friend's house. What could have been a disasterous day turned out great thanks to hard-working kids and a kind friend.

Tender mercies indeed.

uh-oh

2012-01-19T13:23:00.001-06:00

This is what I woke up to the other day. Weird thing is that Shayla also had a bloody nose in the middle of that same night. Must be the dry winter air around here.

It was a good motivator to wash all the bedding--trying to look at the bright side of bloody noses :)

Below--Miya LOVES shoes. Tyler's are a bit on the big side but that doesn't stop her from walking around in them.

Brrrrr...

2012-01-19T08:35:00.000-06:00

We woke up to -13 degree temperature, feels like -31 with the wind chill.

Guess who is staying home today by the fireplace?!!

Merry Christmas 2011!

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve cookie making and delivering

Miya was Mary for our Nativity--she was so tender with her baby Jesus.

Celebrating with our good friends Jim and Cindy

Tracking Santa on the Ipad... the excitement was building...

Christmas morning--the kids woke us up at 5:59 (they were supposed to wait until 6--not bad:)

After Church on Christmas Day. Notice Miya's red lips--she was loving her red chapstick she got in her stocking. We had a lovely program with lots of Christmas music--it was such a great way to focus on the true meaning of Christmas (even though Grant, Miya and Garrett all fell asleep by the end of it). I wish we had a church service every Christmas.

So I was a slacker mom and forgot to take pictures the rest of the day. Needless to say, Santa found us this year and the kids enjoyed lots of presents and playing with their new toys all day.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-18T15:34:00.001-06:00

So one of the Hacking family traditions that we enjoy is eating strange foods to ring in the new year. i forgot to take any pictures this year, but we had a great new year's celebration with some good friends over to share it with. We feasted upon blue-cheese stuffed olives, cajun cheese curds, headcheese (not my favorite), varieties of pate, lots of crackers and cheese, smoked salmon, and of course, bubbly (sparkling cider).

So these pictures are from a few days later when we opened the can of sardines we had missed earlier for the celebration. I love how Miya just thinks it is normal to eat little fish out of a can. I wish I had her same enthusiasm :) Grant has a palate more like my own and he couldn't stomach the little fish. Shayla didn't like them either. All in all it was a great start to the New Year. Still working on my resolutions...

Happy Birthday, Shayla!

2012-01-17T21:10:00.000-06:00

Shayla - 6 months old. She used to do this intense head-tilt when flirting with her Dad.

Shayla turned 9 today! My, how she has grown! This is her just a few days old.

What we love about Shayla:

Dad: Shayla is a great friend, very nice and inclusive, an overall great friend to have.

Mom: Shayla has a beautiful smile and a very kind heart. love you!

Ty: I like that Shayla cares for others, plays with those who are sad and feels bad when i get in trouble.

Garrett: I like that Shayla protects me.

Grant: Shayla helps me when I get hurt

Miya: a my dis my dis my dis puppy. (anyone want to take a stab at an interpretation?!!)

Breakfast in bed

Crepes with strawberries and chocolate pudding

Fashion bag to personalize with markers for our crafty girl

Modeling one of the new shirts Grandma W gave her

Making a wish--Shayla LOVES donuts, not cake.

Shayla loves to be dramatic and funny and recently performed in the school production of Cinderella. She was an "adorable pumpkin" and did a fabulous job--can you just feel her enthusiasm?

We love you, Shayla!

Grant Funnies and back to blogging (maybe)...

2012-01-12T11:25:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I know it has been forever. We've been a bit busy with life. But i do miss blogging--it is a great outlet for things I need to say, and I know the grandparents would love to see photos of the kids, so here goes!

Just had to start by recording this conversation i had with Grant a few days ago. We were reading in the Book of Mormon, Jacob 2:18 But ^abefore ye seek for ^briches, seek ye for the ^ckingdom of God...

M: So that means that we need to keep the commandments and follow Jesus' example first, right?

G: Or we could just stay home and still be Christopher.

M: ...um, do you mean Christian?

G: oh yeah, that.

(p.s. my kids have struggled lately asking about their friends who don't go to church. they somehow thought that if they didn't go to church that they were bad people or didn't believe in Jesus. So we've had several conversations lately about how there are good people who believe in Christ in EVERY church and who don't even go to church who still are Christian. Some of my best friends are not of my faith and are amazing examples to me of living a Christian life and truly following Him. So, I guess i still have a bit of explaining to do with Grant before he gets it. But I did laugh the rest of the day about this one :)

Gratitude

2011-09-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

Today was the Primary Program at church--my favorite Sunday of the year! The kids were so sweet and cute, and the Sunbeams were so entertaining :) As they sang the songs and said their parts I felt such a sense of gratitude for this young generation. The future is in good hands. These kids are so valiant and want to do good and be good. We sang "Love Is Spoken Here" for the closing song and I felt the spirit so strongly. It is such a noble and humbling job we do as parents. We are shaping the future by teaching and leading our kids. And they are teaching and shaping us into better individuals as well. More patient and understanding, full of unconditional love. I know so many days I fall short of what I want to be as a parent, but I figure that as long as I am trying and never give up, then eventually, someday, eons from now, I'll be that parent.

So the kids today bore testimony by standing up, holding up their scriptures and saying, "I know the scriptures are true!" I want to add my testimony to theirs. I know the scriptures are true and I am so grateful for them. I'm grateful for those who sacrificed all to pave the way for the Bible to be translated into English and made available to the common man, and I'm grateful to the prophets of old who lived here in the Americas and understood how important it would be for us to have a second witness of our Savior. They took the great time and effort to record the gospel so that we could have it and read it everyday and find the strength to face our challenges and stand tall in the world today. And i'm grateful to Joseph Smith, having the faith and the courage to ask God and then be obedient in all things so the gospel could be restored to the earth again. I know we have a living prophet today, even Pres. Monson, and look forward to hearing from him in a few weeks at General Conference. I know that he speaks the words of Christ, and that I will be uplifted, encouraged and prompted to make changes in my life that will bring me closer to Christ. I know he is my Savior and the Savior of all the world. Such a humbling thought to know that he gave all, even his very life, for me. And for you.

And now for some pictures--totally unrelated to my ramblings today. This is our pitiful garden this year. In spite of our neglect, we were able to enjoy some delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and peppers. I think if I spent some time with the garden watering and weeding it it would do a little better. Just a theory I have, but I think I'll have to try it next year :)

Miya loved the eggplant

Trying to get Miya to hold the cucumber--she didn't like the pokeys. Yes, this cucumber was left on the vine a BIT too long. And yes, it is bigger than the eggplant.

My blonde girl

Hurrah for fresh produce! There is something so satisfying about picking food out of our garden right before dinner and knowing how fresh and good it is. Hopefully next year I will feel motivated to spend a little more time with the garden and we'll have a better harvest.

1st Day of School

2011-09-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

The kids are back in school and loving it!

Too much togetherness...

2011-09-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of summer break, so in honor of the occasion I told the kids they could take the day off--no piano practicing or big jobs. Hurrah! I thought it was a great idea until they decided to fill their spare time with non-stop fighting. Maybe they were just trying to get me excited to send them back to school...

So I told Shayla and Ty that they had lost all priviledges (i.e. no football practice for Ty or gymnastics or friends for Shayla) until they wrote a letter to each other. They had to apologize and then tell each other 5 things they liked about each other. So...here are the letters. As you can see they did EXACTLY what was asked, no more, but still it did help them turn things around and be a LITTLE nicer to each other.

We did eventually make it on a bike ride (adventurous to say the least) to play at the park.

And Ty was able to go to football practice, so it wasn't all bad. Miya loves wearing Ty's pads around.

2011-08-27T09:17:00.001-05:00

Garrett: Mom, did you know that the tongue is the strongest muscle?
Me: Really? I didn't know that...
Garrett: But...probably not for sumo wrestlers. Those guys are HUGE!

Curly Girl

2011-08-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

My naturally curly hair has been a blessing and a curse my whole life. I love that it is relatively low maintenance and that I don't have to do much with it, but I sure wish I could have a change of style every once in a while. It's just too much work to straighten it though. I've tried before getting it cut in cute straight styles, but I only fix it straight the first time or two and then I'm back to letting it stay curly. My hair just wants to be curly, so I let it. We are both happier that way.

Recently my hairdresser told me about a book, "Curly Girl," that has changed my curls for the better. The secret for curly hair is...

NO SHAMPOO.

That's right...it has been 42 days and counting since I washed my hair. Before you get all grossed out, let me explain. Instead of using shampoo, I just condition twice. The first time I use the conditioner like shampoo and massage my scalp really well. After rinsing I condition again, this time letting it soak into my hair, then rinse like normal. That's it--it is so simple, but it has made my curls much less frizzy and more manageable. I'm even thinking of growing my hair out to see how it looks long now that I know this secret.

If you are a curly girl reading this and want to try to kick the shampoo habit, be patient. Give it a full 3 weeks with no shampoo before you decide if you like the results or not. When I hit 2 weeks of no shampoo I almost caved because my scalp felt itchy, and i kept thinking my hair must be stinking by then (Tyler assured me it didn't, but I didn't really believe him :) But once I hit the 3 week mark I was sold. I use much less product now and don't fight the frizz like I used to (well, at least not as much). What have you got to lose? Try it and you'll be a believer!

Photographic proof: I don't have a good picture of me, but this is the most recent one. After a day of playing water baseball my hair would normally be frizzing out like crazy, and be 3x's it's normal size. But with the curly girl miracle, it's not too bad (all things considered :)

Totally unrelated, but I thought Miya's wet diaper sag was impressive :)

What are your hair secrets?

A Mom-of-the Year-Moment

2011-08-23T23:03:00.000-05:00

So I know I usually post all the good stuff on my blog, but in wanting to keep it real I thought I'd post my real-great-mom moment I had at the triathlon. The purpose of this post is to make you feel good about yourself, so enjoy!

So when we got to the triathlon for the kids, Tyler took Ty and Garrett in through the boys locker room, and I was to take Shayla, Grant and Miya through the girl's to get to the pool. Well, Grant was being a bit stubborn, and didn't want to go in the girl's locker room. After finally convincing him to come with us, he came in the locker room door, but refused to go into the bathrooms with us. I was pretty frustrated with him and feeling a bit frazzled, wanting Shayla to be out to the race in time and all...So I took Shayla to the bathroom and thought Grant would just follow us. After finishing up in the bathroom we exited the locker room out to the pool area and sat down on the bleachers to wait for instructions. I was looking around, taking in all of the race day excitement, feeling as nervous as the people actually in the race, when a lady walked in the pool area and began asking parents if they had lost a little boy with dark hair. She actually asked 1 or 2 parents before she got to me, and I was about to say no, when I realized that I DIDN'T HAVE GRANT WITH ME!!! I ran out to the lobby with the lady and saw Grant standing there with a bunch of adults around him. He looked mostly mad, and just a little bit scared and lonely. I tried to give him a hug, but he just shoved me away, I thanked the people who found him (just inside the girls' locker room door) and walked back into the pool area.

When Grant was finally talking to me again, he sat on my lap and I asked him where he was. He said he was waiting by the door 'cause he knew I'd have to come out that way. He looked so little and innocent and I felt so bad for misplacing him. I thought, what kind of parent loses their child and doesn't even realize it?!!? Lucky for me, Grant is a pretty forgiving boy, and after a few minutes all was back to normal.

So, this was a first for me. I mean I've lost a kid before, but I've always been franticly searching until I've found him or her. This is a new high--I'm just waiting for the phone to ring for the "mother-of-the-year people to interview me :) On the bright side, I didn't lose Shayla or Miya, so really 2 out of 3 isn't all that bad, right?!

Triathlon!!!

2011-08-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Aug. 13th, 2011 Ty, Shayla and Garrett competed in their very first triathlon. They swam 2 laps, biked 2 miles and ran 1/2 mile. They did amazing!!!

Getting pumped up before the big race--they were nervous and excited and ready to go. We had been training by biking and running around our neighborhood, and swimming at the YMCA.

Here is Garrett in the pool for the swim--I didn't get many pictures, mostly videos.

Shayla right before her heat started...I loved watching her swim. She was pretty nervous about the swim, but once she started she loved it. She did mostly the backstroke so I could see her face and she had a smile on it the whole time.

Ty actually took 1st place in his division (10 and under)!!!

All of them did their very best and really pushed themselves.

We were so proud of them!
If you'd like to see more pics, click on this link:http://gallery.me.com/briteideaphoto#100784&view=mosaic&sel=0

Minot, North Dakota

2011-08-21T21:51:00.001-05:00

Minot, North Dakota was badly flooded the end of June and left 4,100 people with homes under 4 feet of water. They have had so many people volunteering to help out but weren't even close to getting the houses gutted so they could be rebuilt before winter hits so they sent a plea all the way down to us in the Twin Cities area (and out to Wyoming/Montana, etc) for help. I was able to go up with a group of 4 of us from the Hudson Ward August 4-7th and help out. We drove up on a Thursday afternoon (it took 10 hours instead of the normal 8 because of traffic) and returned late Sunday night. It was a life changing experience and I loved every minute of it.

We went to the church at 7am to get our first assignment, were grouped with about 7 others and went off to our first house. Our assignment was to completely gut the house down to the 2x4's. The first house was full of stuff that we had to remove first before we could even get to the carpeting/pad, drywall, insulation, etc. It was sad to haul out all of the muddy, soggy personal belongings of this family. I got to shovel out the game room so pieces from Sorry and Pictionary were all sogged in the muddy mucky basement I shoveled out. I heard that this was a military family who had been deployed, so they couldn't get any of their personal belongings out before the flood. So sad.

They built dirt levies around the downtown shopping area and were able to protect a lot of it.

The Souris River--looking pretty innocent now

Our second house-the owner is in an orange shirt with his 9 and 11 yr old sons. They were there the whole time we worked and were so helpful, sweeping up debris and pulling out nails. Such a cute family! They were so well prepared and had put all of their personal belongings on the 2nd level of their home and removed the carpets so it was much easier to gut their home. There was such a heavy feeling of loss, but also of determination to rebuild at the same time.

I didn't really get pictures of the inside of the homes--it really wasn't a place for cameras we were working so hard. But here is a sample of the hallway in our 3rd home. The stench was nauseating and we had to wear masks because of the mold. It was work that I would never do for payment, but serving together with my crew I felt so close to the Savior.

Me standing by the pile of debris we had hauled out of our 3rd home by the end of the day.

It was normal to see huge piles of stuff like this up and down the streets in front of all of the houses.

The man with oxygen tank is the owner of the 3rd house we worked on. He is a retired army man who lived here with his daughter. With no flood insurance he wasn't sure what he would do. Only 10-15% of the people who were flooded had flood insurance. FEMA was giving $30,000 to flood victims to help them rebuild. That might work if you were young and strong and could do all of the work yourself, but for this man it would be tough.

Malia and Carlos (Tyler's cousin) were so kind and let us stay with them (the other option was pitching a tent on the church grounds and showering in the temporary outdoor tarp-surrounded luke-warm-at-best-showers, which many people did). They had a hot shower and a hot meal for us ready at the end of everyday, and being in their home with their cute kids made me feel at home. Curtis had great fun playing with their kids, Joseph, Lizzy, David and Alaina (not pictured is Jacob--born the weekend of the flood)

Sunday morning we had a brief church service at 7am and then headed back out to work. We sang the song "Lord, I Would Follow Thee", which is now one of my favorite hymns. When we sang the line, "Savior, may I learn to love thee, Walk the path that thou hast shown, Pause to help and lift another, Finding strength beyond my own..." my heart was touched and I knew that we had all been blessed with strength beyond our own in what we had accomplished in one weekend. It was such a privilege to be there and meet the people I did.

On the home front Tyler took the day off of work on Friday and PARTIED with the kids. They went to the movies and saw Cars II, went swimming at Willow River State Park, attended Rib Fest and ate tons of ribs, played the Wii and camped out in the basement together. The kids loved having their dad all to themselves. On Sunday they told the Primary President, "When our Dad is home we get to party. My Mom just makes us work." I'd say we're pretty balanced between the two of us. Life is so very good.

Tackle Football!

2011-08-20T23:26:00.000-05:00

Ty is playing tackle football!

Funny but when you look at him you see the top picture, I just see this.

My baby, playing tackle football.

Just to put my mind at ease, they passed out "how to spot a concussion" papers at the first parent meeting. Thanks a lot.

I told Ty I may not be able to attend his games.

Ty has been waiting for this day for a long time...on the drive home from evaluation night where he got to tackle in full gear for the first time, Ty said, "That was the most fun EVER!!" His smile says it all.

Happy Birthday, Grant!!!

2011-08-13T18:41:00.002-05:00

The Big FOUR!!!

Most of my kids aren't big cake fans, so instead we had pudding, Jo-jo, strawberry, blueberry, cool whip delight. They love it and request it for most every birthday.

Figuring out his new Lightning McQueen car...

New birthday shirt. Perfect as the kids have been running football drills non-stop in the backyard this summer.

Grant turned 4 on August 2. He requested Orange Rolls for his breakfast in bed. He is such a fun, smart little boy. We love laughing at his antics each day and are so glad he is a member of our family.

Happy Birthday, G2!! We love you!

Cabin Time!

2011-08-12T18:56:00.000-05:00

Just a quick 24 hour trip, but we enjoyed a delicious cabin breakfast (thanks, Tyler), hot dogs and s'mores for dinner, salamander hunting in the pond, moose spotting and lots of good time to talk. Thanks so much to Ang and Jeff for coming up with us.

Tyler and Lani

Playing guns is always a favorite cabin activity.

Whenever the camera appears, Miya puts on her cheesy smile :)

Angie and Tate

Swimming in the ice-cold beaver pond. Ang and I watched from the side. Brrrrr...

On our trek home we camped somewhere in a beautiful valley in Wyoming. It was a fun end to our vacation.

Grant all smiles for our last breakfast. Until next vacation!

Wagner Reunion

2011-08-11T12:06:00.000-05:00

From the race we went on to the Wagner Family Reunion. Your thinking right now, 'will their vacation ever end?' I know, we were traveling for 2 weeks and it was great.

I didn't get photos but the kids enjoyed relay races with their cousins, and the adults got into the fun as well. 3-legged, gunny sack, running races--you get the picture. Good clean fun. Tyler and I were pretty sore from our race, but managed to compete in the 3-legged race without falling over :)

Picnicking out on the deck

Weeding and mulching Grandma's yard

Giant freezies after--perfect refreshment!

Garrett on the slip-n-slide after the work day

Curt & Eva

Hadley, Sarah & Ty soaking up the sun

Grant, McKay & Grandma Jeena at the pool

Swimming at the Lindon Pool. The community pools in Utah are more like what water parks were when I was a kid. Do I sound old?

Oh how I miss the mountains

Rock Band!!! The kids were so glad Ricky brought the band--they loved it all from the guitar, bass, drums to singing they jammed out.

We had family photos taken at a beautiful home close by. Only problem was Miya threw-up when we were getting ready to go. I think she was on her 3rd outfit by the time we actually took the pictures...looking forward to seeing how those pictures turned out. This was Miya after the pictures-just having fun playing.

Big helpers Garrett and Hyrum

We had fun visiting the Art and Bean Museum at BYU, and of course enjoying creamery ice cream.

Almost all of us

Garrett & Hyrum catching a ride from Laura and Jacob

It was such a great reunion--so fun to see everyone. Can't wait until the next one!

Gratitude

2011-07-31T16:02:00.003-05:00

I'm grateful for my family today (and everyday). I love laughing at my kids all day--they are so funny. And although Tyler and I collapse into bed exhausted on most days, I'm so grateful we get to do this journey through life together.

I always hear the saying "family first," and I've been seriously questioning it lately. I know that sounds bad, but with Tyler being the bishop, sometimes I feel like our family comes last and everyone else in the ward comes first. But the Lord has been patiently teaching me that the service that Tyler gives to others is really service to me and our family, too. It is shaping him into such an amazing husband and father and example for our kids to follow. And I am amazed at how tirelessly he works, with a smile on his face, happy to serve. I know the Lord blesses our family in ways that I don't even understand, because somehow with all the craziness I still feel like I get to spend quality time with Tyler, and that the kids make the most of their time with their dad. Like last night how they played football in the backyard together. I wish I had taken a picture of Grant's little legs as he sprinted across the yard with his dad blocking all of his siblings so he could score a touchdown. I'm grateful for memories like that, and for blessings which seem to pour down faster than we can receive them. Counting them is hard work :)

The Wasatch Back!!!

2011-07-29T07:38:00.012-05:00

The Wasatch Back is one of the toughest Ragnar relay races around (in my personal opinion and the only one I've ever run :) with 192 miles of some of the steepest climbs around. Doing it as a family was a fantastic experience and a great ending to our Hacking Reunion. 12 runners, 2 vans, 192 miles, 32 hours=bonding, blisters and memories for a lifetime.

Decorating the van for the race--Team "Hack the Back"

I got to be the first runner-starting at 5am in Logan. I was so excited to run through my old town past familiar places. It was FREEZING cold that morning, so I was so glad when the race started and was making great time when I took a wrong turn (with a whole pack of other people) and ended up running uphill 1/2 a mile before someone told us we were going the wrong way. Not good for morale at the start! Luckily it got better from there and was a fantastic experience.

Brad giving Tyler some support during his first leg. One of the best things about the race was having the van support, cheering, giving water, gum, encouragement. It was such a team effort.

Curtis (wearing a sombrero to get a free burrito) handing off to Holly. Whoo-hoo!

Some of the beautiful scenery along the way

More beautiful scenery?--Brad rubbing his chest hair for good luck :)

After all 6 of us in van #1 had run, we got a little break to "sleep" a bit and rest up for our second legs.

Angela came in and ran one of the hardest legs in the middle of the night when Emily's knees gave out (I can't believe you ran as much as you did, Emily!) She ran the whole way and did fantastic. You are amazing, Angela!!!

So fun to do as a couple. I got to hand off to Tyler each time--I was always so glad to see him.

This leg of the race was called the "Ragnar" and to quote from the RagMag "in mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits and favored by the gods" would run this leg. Fours miles with an elevation gain of 1700 feet. Alex, you are the Ragnar!

We came up the pass to give Alex some support, cheer, give him water, etc., but couldn't find him among the runners. When we got to the top we realized we must have driven right past him. Later when I looked at my pictures I found I had taken a picture of him when I randomly stuck my camera out the window and took a picture of the snow. So here's the big cheer we meant to give you--Whoo-hoo!!!

Taylor--the superstar of our team!!! Only 13, he had 3 of the hardest legs of the race and ran them like a rock-star. Way to go, Taylor!!!

The team: Jay, Rob, Holly, Taylor, MariKai, Curtis, Emily, Brad, Tyler

Devin, Angela, Alex, Leilani (supporting cast: Natalie-the Whatchamacallit was the best I've ever had!)

Running does not come naturally for me, but I love it. I love it the most after I'm done (all those natural drugs--endorphins and all are great!), but I love the way it makes me dig down deeper than I thought I could, and break through the barriers I set for myself. It is a spiritual experience for me because I am usually praying my heart out just to make it through. I hope I will be able to run my whole life.

The "bum" team--our nemisis. We passed them, they passed us and so on throughout the race. They ended up beating us, but we'll be back. Next time you can be sure that the bums will be behind us.

Hacking Reunion

2011-07-21T14:48:00.013-05:00

We had a fabulous family reunion at Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jack's house in Brigham City. We were grateful to them offering their home as the cabin was still a bit snowy for pitching tents around

Tyler, Ethan and Miya doing sidewalk chalk at Uncle David's and Aunt Merilee's

Cousins practicing the Baptism song for Dallin's baptism

Uncle David and Aunt Merilee hosted a BBQ--delicious and so fun to catch up with everyone

Cousins!!!

Tyler getting ready for our swim at the Brigham pool-what a hottie!

Whoa-there are a lot of us. Swimming at Crystal Hot Springs. Possibly the least-regulated, most fun and crazy water-slide experience out there. The kids had free reign on the slide and loved every minute of it.

Pizza party

.We visited the gravesite of George and Mary HackingTyler, Angela, Robert, Jay and Brad at the Cook grandparent gravesite.

So neat to have all the siblings together.

Ty and Sadie. It was so fun to meet Sadie for the first time.

At Dallin's baptism. Grant and Miya were too grumpy for a picture, but everyone else is in there :) We had such a great time being with everyone and can't wait until the next time!

Vacation Fun

2011-07-14T21:35:00.008-05:00

As a kid we went to Yellowstone National Park almost every summer. My Grandpa Wagner would come to visit and we would pile into the car for a week of camping in the Park. I loved the animals, geysers, mudpots, the camping. Well, at least that is how I remember it now. So when Tyler suggested we drive through Yellowstone on our way to Utah, I was excited. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

Shayla enoying the mud pots

Hard to see, but there is a brown bear eating a deer carcass in the forrest. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip :)

Garrett posing for a photo

Waiting for Old Faithful in the rain. I was amazed at how punctual Old Faithful was--I could take a few lessons from him

What is it about the buffalo that I love so much? It's like a creature from early american history has just stepped out of a book for us to enjoy up close and personal.

Notice the rainbow in the background--there was actually a double. It made the rain well worth it.

Grant-isms

2011-07-14T21:29:00.003-05:00

Grant got a cut on his finger so i got him a band-aid with the above character on it. He opened it and exclaimed, "Yes! Chicken Noodle!!!"

pat-pat-pat

2011-06-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

This post is for all of you stay-at-home moms out there. Actually for moms in general, too.

I've been thinking a lot lately about being a stay-at-home mom, and how difficult it is to feel valued in the world's eyes. And that's okay, I don't think I need a medal to keep trying to be the best mom I can be, but hmmmm...it wouldn't hurt :) Who doesn't like to receive sincere praise and feel that what we do is valued and important? Who doesn't enjoy getting a great performance review, a promotion, a raise or a compliment on a job well done? We all do--at least I do. Or i can imagine I would--I haven't had a full-time (paid) job since I was 24, so it has been a good 10 years. I am truly grateful for Tyler and his support and appreciation of my stay-at-home-mom-hood. He lets me know in countless ways that he values what I do for our family and supports me. I am truly blessed.

Miya has a little habit that touches my heart and give me my good performance review that I need. Sometimes when I give her a hug she snuggles in, nestles her face in my neck and reaches her little hand around me and gently pats my back. It is the sweetest gesture. It is as if she is saying thanks for being my mom, for being there for me. Everytime she does it I think to myself, that is the pat on the back that I needed. And I savor the moment.

That is the challenge of the stay-at-home-mom--to find those little moments that give you a pat on the back and savor them. Freeze frame them and reflect on them again and again on the tough days and moments. So that when the world looks down on what we do and thinks we don't have any ambition, or that we aren't smart enough to get a "real" job or that we are wasting our best years, we can get out our golden moments and bask in them. Each day I marvel at how fast my kids are growing up, and try to remind myself not to wish away the little moments, the sticky fingers to wash, noses to wipe, books to read, conversations at bedtime, contagious pure delight little kid laughter, and boo-boos to kiss better. They grow up so fast. I want to soak them all up so I can remember them little forever.

I wanted to put a quote from my mom that really made me think. She wrote this in her weekly e-mail after she had watched our kids for a week--I had meant to post this entry around mother's day, but I'm a bit behind.

"As I was in Wisconsin working on managing the Hacking household, I wondered who sings the praises of the quiet, hard-working mothers and fathers striving everyday to raise righteous families. That is why it is so important to keep yourself close to the Lord by keeping his commandments. It gives you the strength to do the simple things that matter the most. Having the quiet assurance inside your soul, that you are doing what is right, is what carries you along each day. You don’t need the praise of men, because you have the approval of God! I can’t imagine how anyone can raise a family today with all the evil that is so blatant. I’m so grateful for the gospel that can guide us as we raise our children. It gives me hope and peace because I know that, with the Lord all good things are possible."

Enjoy and savor your little moments each day--you are building the future one day at a time. Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Easter Gratitude

2011-04-24T23:02:00.007-05:00

I am so full of gratitude. Easter gratitude. Tyler asked me to speak in Sacrament Meeting today, and I was kind of dreading it at first, but then I realized what a blessing it was, as I immersed myself in the Savior's life this week in preparation for my talk. I am so grateful that He fulfilled every bit of his part that he came to earth to do, and I just hope to be able to follow him a little bit better each day.

I loved this Easter video--so short and impactful. He suffered more than I can comprehend, so graciously and with such dignity. And because he fulfilled his mission, I have hope. Light and hope, that I can fulfill my own small mission in life, and return to live again with my Heavenly Father, my Savior and my precious family. Enjoy the video and Happy Easter to you all!!

I tried to take an Easter picture of the kids today, but Garrett had already changed out of his sunday clothes. I just had him put his vest and tie back on over his regular clothes. He said, "You better not show this picture to anyone!" So, being the great mom that I am, here it is for you all to enjoy. And a few from the egg hunt yesterday. Oh, and our camera is on it's last leg. The flash doesn't work, so I have to do pictures with no flash, which means the kids have to hold perfectly still or they'll be blurry. Riiiight, kids hold perfectly still. Funny. So we are in the market for a new camera--any recommendations?

He's home!!!

2011-03-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

spring break

2011-03-09T22:37:00.019-06:00

So it is spring break here. We opted to stay around here and work on house projects. So I thought I'd post some pictures of our recent trip to the Dominican Republic. Or heaven on earth, as I like to call it.

This is what we are experiencing now with the kids.

The view at Las Galeras beach

Our first meal on the beach. i loved how they served the fish whole--it reminded me of Portugal.

Watching them make queso fresco. The cheese was delicious, I just had to not think about the rough conditions it was made in and then I was fine.

The closest church was in Nagua, an hour and 50 minutes away. We didn't have the address of the church so we just headed to Nagua and hoped we could find it. Once we got there we had no idea where to go, so when we saw a guy in a white shirt and tie riding a motorcycle we asked where a mormon church was. "I'm Mormon," he said, "I'll take you there." And with that miracle we followed him through the winding streets straight to the chapel. And we were so glad we did. It was one of the highlights of the trip, hearing the testimonies of the members there and realizing once again how blessed we are to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, and how it is the same all over the world.

Sunday must be laundry day in the Dominican. The people are lucky if they have a small washing machine and no one has dryers, so this view was everywhere as we drove to and from church.

I plan to frame my "laundry" pictures and put them in my laundry room. Then when I feel like complaining about all of the laundry I do, I'll remember to count my blessings. Because really my washing machine and dryer do most of the work.

This is the view from the condo. You can't really see but i am sitting on a chair reading a book, enjoying the beautiful ocean. Such peace and beauty. I've really got to live by an ocean someday.

This was an area where they do cliff diving. Tyler thinks since he has good life insurance that he can dive off of 500 foot cliffs into crashing waves below and I should be okay with it. Lucky for me the water was too rough the day we visited or he would have dived. Yikes!

This is the view looking down on the "stairs" to the water below

Tyler on the diving cliff. I am taking the picture from an open-air restaurant built on the edge of the neighboring cliff. A family from Holland built the restaurant and live and work in the dominican now. We were seriously considering options of how we could stay and live there too.
We came back to the restaurant later and had dinner. You can't see the view, but it was breathtaking. When we were getting ready to leave the owner hung a hammock in the restaurant so he could tuck his son in for bed. What a sweet life!

Walking along the rocks by the condo

I love the boats on the beach. I think the fishermen are really brave to go out in the ocean in these little boats. Notice the huge cruise ship in the background.

It is a sure sign of a dangerous animal if they have to saw the horns off. Beware of cow.

Coco, our friend and worker at the Condo. I wish you could see that he has a machete on his lap as he rides his motorcycle. The machete goes everyone with him.

This is a cave Coco took us to explore. It is behind his house on the hillside. His father-in-law has prayer meetings here, hence the need for the benches.

The inside of the cave was amazing. It was really dark, but the flash on the camera lit up the whole place. The only downside was the bats that were swooping around. I had a bad image in my mind of a bat swooping down and getting caught in my hair. Luckily we escaped with no bat attacks. Whew!

Us in the cave

These were some of the houses on Coco's property. i don't know how many families lived on this piece of land. When we went to visit there must have been 15 people there, some playing baseball, others cleaning, cooking and sweeping the dirt walkways and taking care of the kids running around. The Dominican is a land of contrast. People would live in the rudest of shelters, with no running water or indoor plumbing but have a TV and cable.

This was a really nice motorcycle. Most of them are pretty basic and run down looking, so I guess that is why this one got a fancy garage to park in.

Playa Madama. This beach was snorkel-heaven. The coral was so colorful and the fish were everywhere. Brightly colored electric blue fish, striped yellow, even a flat fish that blended into the ocean floor and swam like a sting-ray. We could have stayed all day at this beach. It was a rocky drive up to it, and then a 1/2 hour hike to get there, but well worth it.

This was on the hike out from Playa Madama. Do you like Tyler's pink camoflauge backpack? Cute. (Okay, it's really mine, but he carried it for me. What a gentleman). Actually the hike through the underbrush was a bit scary at times and I found myself thinking through emergency scenarios in my mind as I hiked. What if Tyler fell and broke his leg? How would I get him out of the forest and back to the car? And where would I go for medical treatment from there? Do you ever do that? I think when I'm nervous I try to think through every possible bad situation so I can be prepared so i won't be as scared. The best plan I came up with was to use our towels and a few fallen branches and lash together a stretcher and drag him out. When I told Tyler about my plan later he said I should just leave him there, go get help and come back. I thought about that, but knew with my sense of direction if I left him there I'd never find him again. And since I created the perfect plan nothing happened. Whew!

The condo

Tyler with Coco. Coco is such a great person and saved us a few times. When we first arrived at the condo at 2am, we discovered that we brought the wrong key and couldn't get in. Once again I was planning what I would do (sleep on the beach, etc.), when Tyler called Coco to see if he could come and let us in. Tyler's phone died 5 seconds after he got Coco on the line. Luckily it was enough for Coco to hear "keys don't work" and he and his girlfriend arrived on his motorcycle 10 minutes later and saved the day.

It was such a fantastic trip--a huge thank you to my mom for coming out to watch the kids and to my in-laws for sharing their condo.

ANOTHER birthday boy!

2011-03-03T22:52:00.004-06:00

Ty's 10!!! Hard to believe...

His breakfast in bed--orange rolls and bacon

Ty's lemon cake

Nice shirt, Grandma!

Ty is celebrating with a friend party at the end of the month, so we get a little break to our "birthday season" to catch our breath and prepare.

Ty is such a great oldest son, so quick to help out and set a great example for his younger siblings to follow. Happy Birthday, Ty!

(And happy birthday to McKay, Devan and Dr. Seuss who all share the same birthday :)

Birthday Boy Garrett!!!

2011-02-27T09:16:00.007-06:00

February 24th was Garrett's 6th birthday. He started off his day with crepes in bed.

He was out cold when we walked in--usually the birthday person is anxiously awaiting our arrival. Look at that tired face :)

Presents!

After presents we celebrated by playing basketball at the church. Parents vs. kids. Miya just chased us back and forth on the court kicking her volleyball and laughing. It was awesome! Until she got tired of that and wanted me to carry her. Then I wasn't much help to my team. I thought the parents won, but the kids thought they won...hmmm...

Nilla wafer banana pudding cake.

Friday night Garrett had a friend party-10 wrestling boys running around the house. Two hours seemed more like four but Garrett had a great time :)

Garrett is really into Legos

My basketball pinata was too wimpy or the boys were too strong. They didn't want to be blindfolded, so they were really wailing on it. The second boy broke it, so the rest of them just got to hit the remains of the pinata hanging there. Luckily they seemed just as happy to hit the broken pinata as the full one.

The whole crew--HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARRETT!!

On a side note we just had parent teacher conferences and G's teacher said what a great kid he is. He is a friend to all, great listener and participator and always does his best. We feel the same way about our Garrett and are so glad to have him!

soapbox

2011-02-20T21:34:00.000-06:00

Thursday night we got a phone call at 10:03, just as we were drifting off to sleep. It was an automated call from the school district telling us that school would be canceled due to a lack of teachers and not enough substitutes to cover for them. Are you kidding me?!

The teachers were striking (or calling in sick) because of a bill the Wisconsin state government is trying to pass which will require teachers to actually contribute to their pension plans, and that they pay 12.6% of their health care benefits. Currently they pay nothing into their pension plans and receive their health care for free--no monthly contribution. Even after this bill passes, they will still pay only about half what the average american pays for their monthly health benefits. This bill will save the state approximately 300 million over the next 2 years and will help as our new governor and legislators try to balance the budget which is 3.6 billion in debt. Pres. Obama has criticized the Wisconsin State government, even shipping in protestors to Madison to show his disdain. Obama said, "And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends. I think everybody's got to make some adjustments, but I think it's also important to recognize that public employees make enormous contributions to our states and our citizens." Governor Scott Walker has responded to the criticism, "I think we're focused on balancing our budget. It would be wise for the president and others in Washington to focus on balancing their budget, which they're a long ways from doing." I wanted to stand up and cheer when I read that. Hooray for Gov. Walker!!! Way to stand up to the President.

So, what have the Democratic legislators done to show their disapproval of the bill? They ran away. They crossed the border into Illinois and are hiding in Chicago so that a vote can't take place. Does this sound a bit cowardly to you? Governor Walker isn't a coward. He has sent the State Troopers after these representatives to bring them back. That is why they crossed the state line. So comforting to know the kind of people who are making decisions for us.

Now, don't get me wrong. My degree is in teaching, and I have much respect for teachers and the teaching profession. It is one of the hardest jobs out there, with countless hours spent preparing lessons, grading and going the extra mile. It is a job that could never be 8-5, as a teacher is always working on his/her curriculum and thinking about how to best teach it to his/her students and get them excited about it. Teachers should be appreciated and respected and paid to reflect their performance. But since they are government employees and the government budget is over-stretched, they have to make sacrifices just like the rest of us. I don't know anyone who works for a private company who gets free healthcare and a free pension/401K. They are required to contribute their portion to both and that seems logical. Shouldn't the government employees be required to do the same?

So far we haven't heard anything about if school is cancelled tomorrow or not. It is President's Day and Tyler has the day off, but for some reason the school kids don't. As we are in the middle of a winter storm (supposed to get 12 inches or so) maybe we'll have a snow day tomorrow and make everyone happy.

So I'll get down off of my soapbox now. I just had to vent, and I hope I haven't offended anyone. It has been exciting seeing teachers out picketing and hearing how passionate people are about this issue, one way or the other. Tyler and I went out to eat last night and halfway through our meal some people came in with signs supporting Gov. Walker. I think one of the signs read, "Your pension=my money" It sure adds some excitement to our quiet town, and I'm excited to see what tomorrow will bring.

I'm a mormon!!!

2011-02-19T22:11:00.001-06:00

I finally made my profile on mormon.org

Check it out here! http://www.mormon.org/me/2P5Y/#

They are doing all kinds of radio and TV commercials here in the Twin Cities. i think we are one of the test areas. It is wonderful to hear "I'm A Mormon" commercials on the radio as I'm driving around during the day. Now I've got my own mini-commercial.

Shayla's baptism day

2011-02-18T19:40:00.007-06:00

Shayla was baptized on Sat., February 12th by her dad.

It was a special occasion and we were so glad my mom could be here to share it with us, and felt all of our family here in spirit.

I made Shayla's dress for her. She loved it and looked so cute in it. I was fully prepared to go out and buy her a dress if it didn't turn out (most of my sewing projects never see the light of day) so I was happy with the results!

Shayla celebrating with a few of her friends after the baptism. She was just beaming and so happy. She said she was so nervous before the baptism she thought she would throw up, but after she came out of the water she felt so happy. I am proud of the decision she made to be baptized and feel that she is truly taking it to heart.

Catching up

2011-02-16T21:37:00.003-06:00

Before Christmas we traveled to Cleveland to be with my side of the family. We had so much fun being together. Everyone was there except Jacob who is serving a mission in Manchester England, but we were able to call him for Christmas and talk with him and hear his Brittish accent and vocabulary. It was smashing and jolly good fun!

Garrett building his own wooden toy at Santa's workshop (which happens to be in Kirtland, OH--who would have thought!)

Hyrum working with his elf on his wooden toy

Tyler made this rocking horse for Miya

Hadley and Shayla painting their identical twin horses

Grandma and Felicity working with their own personal elf

The Magleby's all getting in on the fun

Grant milking a cow--we each got a turn. I felt bad for the poor cow as we all lined up to take a turn milking it.

Meeting Santa right in the train station. Shayla was worried about his authenticity--no worries, Shayla, Santa has lots of helpers.
Traveling on the train--kids were exhausted

Grant and Hyrum both caught a nap, too

Garrett and Hyrum wearing matching outfits given them by Grandma

Waiting for the train in the snow. It was so beautiful! We even took advantage of the snow and went cross country skiing one day. It was so fun I want to buy skis for the family--I'm hooked!

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters.
Sarah, Kris and Ang

Heber Tate's blessing day

Garrett and Uncle Curt at the Bishop's Store House, filling Christmas food orders.

Definitely a highlight of the trip. The kids loved it and so did I.

Shayla loved the clipboard and bossing Uncle Ricky around :)

Hadley and Ty filling the frozen foods orders--we were supposed to be meeting everyone at the nursing home but we couldn't tear them away!

Christmas caroling at the nursing home--highlight was when one of the staff requested the Grinch song, and Kris performed a great impromtu performance "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch..." It was awesome!

This is what the kids thought of caroling

It was such a great trip, and even though I'm 2 months late, I wanted to post a few photos. Merry Christmas in February!

Another Birthday Girl!

2011-02-01T20:29:00.003-06:00

Miya celebrated her 1st birthday on November 30th, 2010!!! So, I'm really late, but had to put up a few b-day pics anyway.
Birthday girl, Miya!!! She loved opening presents.

Her birthday cake was a different story...

She didn't want to touch it and get her hands dirty, so she decided to use her face to eat it :)

Licking her cake-yum!

She liked it, so she dug her face in deeper...

She ended up with frosting all over her face and up her nose, crying and trying to climb out of her high chair.
We washed her off and gave her a bowl of strawberry ice cream, and then she was happy again. She's like her mom, much more of an ice cream than cake girl :)

Cheesing it for the camera

Miya's first doll--she picked this out at the store and I wasn't sure if she really liked the doll or just the plastic box it came in. After she opened the box, I was relieved to see that it really was the doll she liked. She is so sweet and gives her baby hugs. We love you Miya!

Birthday Girl

2011-01-30T21:13:00.003-06:00

Shayla is 8!!! Growing up so fast...she is already asking me if she can borrow my clothes.

The other day she said she LOVED my shirt, "Can I have it after you die?"

Still laughing about that one :)

The chocolate-chocolate cake

Birthday party with 15 girls!!! I went a little crazy when Shayla made her list of who she wanted to invite. Had a moment of temporary insanity and just sent invitations to them all. And just about everyone came. Lots of giggling, high-pitched laughing and talking and fun. Glad we only do friend birthday parties every other year, though :)

My camera is on the fritz--the flash only works part of the time, so this one is blurry.

Notice the straight hair. Shayla has wanted straight hair forever so I had promised her years ago that I would straighten it for her on her 8th birthday. She didn't forget so we did it and she looked really cute. I especially loved how she would toss her head around and make sure part of her hair was over her shoulder so we could all see the beautiful straightness.

Making a wish

Shayla will be getting baptized on February 12th. She is very excited and had her baptismal interview today with her Dad. That was a special experience for both of them. She is growing up and has such a kind heart and is always quick to help her brothers and sister AND keep them in line. They love that :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-21T16:41:00.009-06:00

Waiting at the top of the stairs to come down to the tree

Miya, too.

The kids had an exercise in patience as we forgot to download the old video off the camcorder to make room for the new, so they had to wait 30 minutes while we did that. We were not popular parents first thing Christmas morning!

Miya's new hairbow

Miya is such a daddy's girl--she always backs into his lap whenever he is sitting down.
I love it!

Shayla and her new jewelry

A football like the pros use was his request

Grant's bowling set

I love this one!

Miya got a toothbrush in her stocking. Now maybe she will stop stealing everyone elses. She loves to suck on it and carries it with her throughout the house. Maybe we've got a future dentist on our hands...

Stocking stuff

Shayla stocking

Look at that face! This kid is intense about his gum!!!

Come to think of it, we all love gum around here

It was a wonderful Christmas day, complete with fun family time playing with new toys, good food and a sledding trip with friends.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

And here's to catching up the blog so I can start blogging about the current events and be a bit more consistent!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-21T12:25:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve we invited two couples over to enjoy the festivities with us. We did our traditional reenactment of the Nativity with a complete cast this year, plus camera crew. It was great!

As usual, Santa dropped off a surprise package on the doorstep of PJ's for the kids. No one was more shocked than myself when we heard a knock on the door, ran to get it to find Santa himself in the driveway waving at us. This created quite a stir, with Shayla saying, "That can't be the real Santa--he wouldn't let us see him if it was! Who WAS that?!!" The next day the kids found Santa's hat out on the driveway, with his glasses tucked inside. They were pretty worried about it until we reassured them that Santa probably has a few back-up pair of both. It made for an exciting night!

The excitement was palpable! The four oldest "slept" together in one room. I don't know how much actual sleeping took place, but they sure had fun.

Almost a snow day...

2011-01-21T07:16:00.002-06:00

It's -24 degrees outside. And the kids have 2 extra hours off of school this morning before they have to brave the weather. Brrrrrrrr.....

I don't think I'll be going anywhere today-hopefully I'll have time to post some Christmas pictures later. Stay warm!

Snow days

2011-01-13T18:50:00.004-06:00

December was the snowiest one in history here. I think we got 36". I guess if we are going to have a lot of snow, we might as well go for the gold and break the record. The kids loved it!

Grant--king of the snow mountain!

It was also very, very cold. We hung out in the single digits for quite a while.

The kids in front of our house

This was the view from our deck.

Longing for summer bbq's about now...

Polar Dash

2011-01-09T19:51:00.005-06:00

I ran a 5K on New Years Day in 7 degree weather (-15 with the wind chill). It was awesome! I was so terrified I'd be cold i wore too many layers and was "sweatin' hot" (a phrase Shayla coined and is commonly used in our house during the summer). I was afraid my feet would freeze so I put those hand-warmer packs on top of my toes between two layers of socks and it worked like a charm!

I love the race-day excitement and it's fun to be with so many other crazy people running in the cold. My goal time was 27 minutes, and I barely squeaked in at 26:51. I was so glad I made it! And they had great finishers medals to boot, so all in all it was a great way to start the new year!

Just a cute photo of the kids. I was trying to get a good one of them after church in their cute clothes, and this was the best I could do. Yes, I'm a budding photographer :)

Grapefruit Season

2011-01-09T19:33:00.006-06:00

My kids LOVE grapefruit. They ask for it every meal and can't get enough of it. Except for Ty and Miya. Ty thinks it tastes like poison--don't ask me how he knows what poison tastes like. Today he said he couldn't even eat a grapefruit for a million dollars. Wow--I could eat just about anything for a million dollars.
Shayla and Miya after church today

Ty is a good big brother and helps get all the juice, even if he does hate the fruit

Yum, Shayla!

Miya's newest trick--trying to climb out of her high chair.

So, not that I have any new years resolutions about blogging, but hopefully I'll be a bit more regular about it. If anyone is still out there reading :)

Enjoy your grapefruit while it lasts!

chocoholic

2010-11-16T22:34:00.005-06:00

Miya loves chocolate. You might wonder how I know that my baby loves chocolate. Well, besides the fact that she is her mother's daughter, she found out for herself on the drive home from a football game.

My friend had given Miya a mini snickers bar (wrapped, of course) to play with. By the time I got home she had gnawed through the wrapper and was delighted to be eating her first chocolate.

She was not so happy when I took it away from her.

On Halloween when the kids dumped out their loot, Miya crawled straight for a snickers bar and started trying to break into it. She's a smart one!

monster dash

2010-11-16T22:12:00.004-06:00

Tyler did his first half marathon on October 30th, 2010. I didn't get any good running photos, but here are a few from after the race. It was a beautiful, crisp day, and he did fantastic!

He ran 13.1 miles in 1 hr 37 min.

I just call him speedy now.

I drove down to the race site with the kids to see Tyler at the midpoint of the race and at the finish line. Well, there were thousands in the race and it was chaos. I finally stopped to ask directions at a point where runners were passing by, and as luck would have it, Tyler ran by a few seconds later. I got to cheer him on for a brief moment and I was so glad to see him midrace!

Shortly after that I got our minivan wedged between a bus and oncoming traffic. Just when I thought all hope was lost I found a parking spot and then saw a friend bike right up to us and guide us in to the finish line.

Someone was definitely looking out for us.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:48:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!!!

(click HERE for some spooky entertainment)

Duluth

2010-10-19T22:00:00.010-05:00

We finally made it up to Duluth to see Lake Superior and some of the sights. The weather was beautiful and the lake felt like the ocean. Here are some of the photos.

The lift bridge-amazing to watch it lift for the various sized ships passing through

The tour boat ride. Notice the sweettarts the kids have--nearly started a riot fighting over them later in the ride, but they sure enjoyed them :)

Grant braving the frigid water

Ty was eventually in up to his thighs--he's a fish

Garrett, too

Shayla playing on the boat in park point

Gooseberry Falls State Park was AMAZING!

Hiking at Gooseberry

The upper falls

Grant throwing rocks into the lake

Tyler teaching Miya how to throw rocks (as opposed to EAT rocks like she wanted to)

Tyler and I wondering why we thought sleeping with 5 kids in 1 hotel room was a good idea...

Lake Superior

Factoids for you: It is so deep you could put the empire state building in the lake it would all be below the surface.

The area of the lake is roughly the size of Indiana.

If you flooded North and South America with the water in Lake Superior it would cover the entire land mass with 1 foot of water.

Miya spent a lot of time in her stroller

Enjoying the view

On the boat tour

FEET! Notice Miya's painted toes :)

Although we had our moments, the kids were troopers and it was a great family-togetherness weekend.

Tyler used his creative-balancing skills to get this photo of all of us together.

Hopefully more posts to come!

kid funnies

2010-10-19T21:27:00.005-05:00

Hello, neglected blog. Sometimes I wonder why I have a blog, just so I can feel guilty about not posting most likely :)

Just had to record a few of the funny things being said around here lately.

Grant: I know what "shoo fly" means.

Mom: Really, what does it mean?

Grant: It means you take a shoe and you squish a fly with it.

Garrett was talking about talents he has and said, "pretty much everything is a talent."

Shayla thought that was ridiculous and said, "Yeah, right, Garrett. My nose isn't a talent!"

Garrett shot back, "Well if you could wiggle it it would be."

One of the best things about having young kids is the constant free entertainment. Who needs TV? But if you need more of a laugh, check out this. Tyler and I went to see Brian Regan in Minneapolis lately and laughed so hard our faces hurt.

Hope to post more soon!

Grateful

2010-09-12T21:25:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. I have so much to be grateful for and sacrament meeting today was all about gratitude. Garrett has had a high fever for 9 days and today was his first without a fever. There is something about being sick (or worse, having someone you love sick) that makes me appreciate good health. On my mission everyone would always wish each other good health and I thought it was kind of funny. The older I get the less funny it is and the more I join in whole-heartedly wishing others good health. Saude!

I am grateful for good friends who have taken such good care of us this week and for family who have prayed to get Garrett better. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power of gratitude, even for our trials. I just read this: "fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in EVERYTHING give thanks;" (d&c 98:1) I think that means we should even be thankful for our trials and sicknesses, for they have a hand in shaping us and teaching us. I'm pretty good at being thankful for trials AFTER they have passed, not in the middle of them :)

So for now I'm thankful that Garrett gets to go to his 1st day of kindergarten tomorrow morning. I thankful for my friend who watched Garrett this morning so I could take the sacrament. I'm thankful for those who gave rides to my kids, brought delicious food and called and gave moral support. I'm thankful for doctors who tried to figure out what was wrong with our little guy. And I'm wishing you all good health to last a lifetime!

1st day of school

2010-09-08T14:49:00.005-05:00

Ty and Shayla excited for 4th and 2nd grade to start

Garrett has had a fever for 6 days now--poor guy. We can't figure out what is wrong and he is so sad he is missing the first week of Kindergarten. No fun.

Miya weighed in at 15 lbs. 8 oz. at her 9 month check, putting her at the 4th percentile. So, I'm trying to supplement (but she won't take a bottle). This lovely concoction is applesauce with a scoop of formula. Yum!

I have a whole summers worth of things to post about--we'll see how long it takes me to actually post it. Fun trips to Kansas, visit from the Brimhalls and Mom, Trip to Utah to visit family and the cabin and so much more. Hope you all are getting settled back into the the school year and fall, too.

Dates

2010-07-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

Having 5 kids makes it pretty hard to spend one-on-one time with any of them. We've tried in the past to take them out on one-on-one dates but then things would get crazy and we'd stop doing them. This summer we scheduled a date just every other Saturday, Tyler and I trading off. We had to set some parameters so no one broke the bank. They get to pick some (free) activity (park, raquetball, swimming, etc.) followed by their choice of treat.

So far we have played raquetball followed by cheese curds and custard at Culver's with Grant, Garrett and Shayla. Ty decided to mix things up a bit and chose to go running at Willow River State Park followed by cheese curds and custard at Culver's. It has been such a great thing.

Grant and I played raquetball this past Saturday and then chatted over our lunch. I asked him how he liked sharing a room with Shayla, and he confided in me that he liked sharing with Shayla but he didn't like his bed. Who wouldda thought? Yes, it turns out that he really doesn't care for his blue sheets. He wants red, lots of red. And not just the blankets. He wants to paint the whole bed red. Now, would I ever have known this if I hadn't been out on a date with him? Probably not. Now I have to figure out how to break it to him that I'm not going to paint his bunk bed red, but that we could try and get him a red blanket for his bed.

Ask a question...

2010-07-25T22:27:00.002-05:00

Driving home from church today I asked the kids what they learned about. All of them piped up with what they learned and I got a kick out of their responses:

Ty: I learned about Elijah
Shayla: I learned about the 5 loaves and 2 fishes
Garrett: I learned about sharing
Grant: I learned about coloring!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-07-16T17:13:00.011-05:00

I know this is super late, but I am so grateful for the father that Tyler is to our kids. He sets such a great example for them to follow and loves to play with them right on their level. Some of his specialties are making up silly songs to sing, teaching them how to play every sport known to man, wrestling/tickling, riding bikes together, raquetball, hiking, and yard work/gardening.

I asked the kids what they liked about their Dad and this is what they said:

Ty: I love to go running with Dad

Shayla: I like that Dad is kind and thoughtful

Garrett: I like that Dad plays with me

Grant: I like that he plays with me. Like Miya toys, foot pass, and I'm all done.

Miya: I love hanging upside down, cranning my neck to follow my Daddy across the room. And I love it when he changes my diaper :)

Last Sunday Tyler came home from a full day of meetings and had an hour before his next round of meetings. He looked at me and could tell I was at the end of my rope. He got the kids fed and movie put on so I could go take a nap. He is always doing little things like that and they mean the world to me! Happy super-late Father's Day!

Independence Day!

2010-07-15T15:39:00.004-05:00

We made tie-dye shirts on Monday July 5th. The kids loved it--Grant kept running around saying "We are a tie-dye family!!"

(I bought the kit 3 years ago and we finally did it! I just had to buy 2 new shirts and bump everyone else up a size or two :)

Silly faces

Grant getting ready for the softball game

Garrett getting face-painted

Miya enjoyed her first 4th of July, complete with church picnic, tug-o-war and foot races, watermelon, fireworks and swimming. (you can kind of see her doing her tongue-twisting trick. She does it non-stop, just to show off. I can't for the life of me do it, but Tyler can. I think it is a talent you are born with or not.)

We had a few snaps, sparklers and firecrackers to light off at home, which everyone but Grant enjoyed. After retreating to the house for a round of firecrackers Grant emerged and said, "Can we never do that again?"

It was a great weekend to reflect on the blessings of family and freedom. I recently read "The 5,000 year leap" and have been deeply impressed by the freedoms we so abundantly enjoy.
So many inspired souls fought to lay the foundation for this great nation, and so many have lived and died to protect that freedom. I keep thinking "where much is given, much is required" and want to do all I can to help preserve the freedom I enjoy everyday. Cause freedom isn't really free. So from one proud American to another, happy Independence Day (just a wee bit late)!

summer swimming

2010-07-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

Somehow it looked bigger in the store...

Time Out for Women

2010-07-10T21:46:00.002-05:00

In our first ever sister's retreat I met up with my Mom and sisters and s-i-l in Pittsburg for Time Out for Women. It was such a wonderful weekend -- the only thing that would have made it better was if Sarah had been there. Next year, Sarah!Emily, Ang, Kris, McKay, Miya and Mom playing "Settlers" at the hotel and feasting on delicious popcorn (thanks, Em!)

Downtown Pittsburg was really pretty. This advertisement for PNC bank was made out of different plants--quite creative. (This one's for you, Seth!)

Kris, McKay, Lani and Mom

Kris, Ang and Mom by the same fountain

McKay got to borrow one of Miya's outfits after having a blow-out at the Chinese restaurant--what a cutie (but he still looks like a little man, even in ruffles)

I LOVE McKay's expression in this one!! Fierce!

Sisters, sisters...there were never such devoted sisters :)

Running into Danielle, a dear friend from Indiana was the icing on the cake!

They kept trying to hold hands. Cousin bonding taking place here.

My favorite quotes/thoughts of the weekend:

"Selective Neglect"

"The hardest part of being blind is...not seeing"

Hilary Week's "Climb every mountain" song, laundry version

listening to beautiful music and being inspired and filled with hope and joy,

and laughing a lot, because laughter heals the soul.

Can't wait for next year!

attempted photo shoot

2010-07-09T22:35:00.004-05:00

I thought I would take some photos of the kids for Father's Day.

What was I thinking? Getting 5 kids to all look and smile at the same time proved nearly impossible. The last one is my best...i think.

Notice Garrett's face. He wanted to hold Miya and refused to smile without her.

Now notice Ty's face. Now look at Garrett's. Oh, and how about Miya's happy face.

I wanted to cry, too.

It didn't help that Miya was tired and hungry.

Train...

Train wreck

Almost all of them are looking at the camera...notice Miya pulling Shayla's hair

Shayla was crying a milisecond after this shot.

They are all kind of smiling, and almost all looking.

Success!

terrible horrible no good day

2010-07-09T14:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we were playing out back when Grant got attacked by a wasp, and then it turned and started stinging Garrett, too. Grant ended up with just 1 sting, but Garrett got 4--two first and then two later in the day when he bravely visited the site of the earlier incident. Notice his puffy lip and right eye. Poor kid. He was so brave about it too (after the initial blood-curdling screaming, of course). Tyler and Ty went on a wasp hunt and found and destroyed the nest with about a can and a half of wasp poison later that day. Hopefully that is our last wasp incident of the year.

On a lighter note, we have been enjoying all of the fresh fruit of the season. Raspberry, blackberry and strawberry picking and lots of fresh melons from the store. We were having honeydew with dinner and Grant said, "Please pass the honeydude, Dad!"

2010-05-20T08:53:00.003-05:00

I know I've got a real sports fan on my hands when Ty's complaint while practicing the piano was "But Mom, I don't want to use the Metrodome!!!"

Firsts

2010-05-10T21:31:00.008-05:00

First Tooth! just kidding :)

First 5K for my s-i-l Holly--she did awesome! Running, talking, smiling, soaking up the whole experience--a great family weekend.

First time riding a bike without training wheels for Garrett. He basically taught himself while he waited for me to finish feeding Miya. Then I just got to run along side him as the spotter more for moral support. He rides!!!

Miya sits up now! Not that she loves it too much because I think it hurts her tummy being folded in half like that, but I'm excited because it will give her bald spot on the back of her head a chance to grow in now :)

Shayla lost her front tooth! Not the first one, but a big milestone nonetheless.

Ty placed 4th in the pinewood derby this year and scored a sweet trophy/car display stand.

Ty's first pocket knife. He is a whittling machine now!

Grant playing in the rain. Not the first time, and certainly not the last.

Happy REAL Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-09T22:06:00.004-05:00

In the spirit of REAL mom's everywhere--I'd like to share my adventures of my REAL Mother's Day today.

I woke up to breakfast in bed--a culinary masterpiece of some of my favorite things--fresh berries and yogurt, granola, bagels and cream cheese and my new favorite drink--Odwalla mango smoothie. It's like liquid heaven. Flowers, homemade cards gallore--it was so wonderful. And lucky for me ninja Garrett's kick did not knock the tray over and we got through breakfast with just a few kid conflicts.

Breakfast was so nice that we almost missed church--just squeaked in during the sacrament hymn, so things were getting a bit stressful. I was supposed to teach Relief Society, so I was trying to make sure Miya was fed and happy before hand so I'd be ready to teach. So during the end of Sunday School, I was walking Miya at the back of the room trying to get her to sleep when she let out the LOUDEST and LONGEST toot ever! Everyone turned around and looked at me. Very fun. So, with a sheepish grin, I grabbed a diaper and headed for the mother's lounge to change her. When I got there I discovered that she had a huge blow out all the way up her back. Yes, it went through her tights, onsie, slip, dress and blanket. It was everywhere! I had no wipes, so I was in the midst of cleaning her up with wet paper towels when she started peeing all over the place. By this point I was laughing hysterically (on the verge of tears more like it...) at the situation and Miya was just smiling and being adorable, oblivious to the mess she was creating. I hadn't restocked the diaper bag from the last blowout, so I wrapped Miya in the clean half of her blanket, and took her out to find some clothes. It was my lucky day--I found her pj's in the bottom of the stroller from the day before when we had gone swimming. Yes-victory! The miracle of all of this is that somehow my white shirt remained clean through this whole fiasco--THAT miracle was Miya's mother's day gift to me, and I am so grateful I didn't have to teach my lesson with yellow baby poop on me :)

So on the drive home the kids were fighting so I gave them the mom speech about how what I wanted for mother's day was for them to be kind to each other and not fight. Have you ever given that speech before? Does it seem like too much to ask for? Well, obviously it is because we had barely pulled into the garage when Shayla and Garrett had a knock-down roll on the ground fight over my mother's day flowers. It was a doosie--they both got sent to their rooms and later had to do 3 services for each other (one was a 30 second hug--I've never heard kids count that fast in my life :) to repair the damage to their relationship.

So, after the fight was finally resolved, I started making mac-n-cheese for the kids when I hear Grant yell, "I gotta go!" I started running to the bathroom to help him and before i get there I hear, "Oh, I gotta go poop! ...Uh-oh..." Yes, he pooped his pants, which is CRAZY because he has been doing so good potty training. By now I just kept thinking about Marjorie Hinckley's quote about laughing her way through life because crying gives her a headache. And I laughed. And I was proud of myself for choosing to see the humor in all of it instead of crying in a heap on the floor.

Tyler got home early from church and took Miya so I could take a nap and things just got better from there on out. He made me the most delicious dinner of steak, asparagus and mushrooms, fresh bread and fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. It was divine.

We topped off the night watching some home videos and skyping family. All in all, it was a wonderful day. I felt cherished and loved and like a real Mom. I hope your day was just as special (but without all of the poop :)

This is what Miya thinks of sweet peas

This is how Miya feels when I stop trying to feed her sweet peas

Two of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite people:

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, "We are here in mortality, and the only way to go is through; there isn't any around!" I would add, the only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." — Marjorie Pay Hinckley

HAPPY REAL MOTHER'S DAY!!!

april fools

2010-04-20T23:26:00.000-05:00

Tyler made breakfast on April Fool's day, and somehow the eggs turned blue and the milk turned blue and pink. Imagine that!

The missionaries joined us for dinner and Garrett and I decided to play a trick on them. We made my rhubarb coffee cake and told them it was a "chicken stuffing casserole" and served scoops of ice cream as mashed potatoes. One of the Elders got it and was playing along with it for the kids, but the other one was really baffled when he saw the "mashed potatoes." "Wait a minute--why are we having ice cream with dinner?!!"

Garrett then shouted, "April Fools!"

The best was when we were sitting up to dinner and Garrett said, looking at the "casserole," "Yum! Chicken casserole thingy!"

First broken bone

2010-04-19T23:16:00.002-05:00

Shayla broke her arm at recess on the day we brought Miya home from the hospital. It was a rough few days and took a trip to the specialist to discover the break and get her casted. She was bummed

because she couldn't hold Miya very well with a broken arm.

Bath time was an adventure. Thank goodness for Target bags and lots of saran wrap!

Shayla carried a sharpie with her wherever we went so people could sign her cast. She also got pretty good at using her cast to keep her brothers in line. I bet she wishes she had it back some days :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-04-19T22:06:00.006-05:00

Okay, here is a hodge-podge group of photos. I call it "Catching up with the Hackings and their lovely visitors." Catchy title, I know.

Fun with Grandma at the Mill Museum (left), and Tyler and Miya on Christmas Day 2009. Which one looks more tired?

Garrett and Eva, in disguise. She loved to wrap up in blankets and walk around. Our very own Mary, (or homeless person :)

Christmas morning--the excitement was tangible

A week of fun with Kristina and her girls Felicity and Eva--such good times!

Kris, you kept me sane during the month of December--I am indebted to you!

Sleepy sisters

In January Seth and Emily came out for a fun visit--so great to see you both! To see great photos/video footage of their visit, check out Emily's blog here
(thanks Emily!)

Miya 5 weeks old

Okay, that's all for now...more rambling catch-ups to come

testing...testing...1.2.3...

2010-04-06T20:53:00.006-05:00

happy easter!

Hi there...so it's been a while. It feels like I've been on a roller coaster for the past few months. Some breathtaking loops, thrilling turns, memorable moments mixed with moments when all I can do it hang on, scream and hope I don't throw up. But would I trade this ride for anything? Not a thing. I heard Seinfeld say that he loved parenthood--all of it, even when it is terrible I love it, he said. I would have to agree. Even when the kids are freaking out and a mutiny threatens Tyler and I look at each other and just have to smile (or laugh, or cry--depends on the day). These are the moments that I try to soak in and remember for the days when our kids are grown and the house is clean and quiet. When I think about it I start to miss these days already. I love, love, love my life and feel so grateful for it.

So, I think I'll start with the present and work backwards and try to catch up.

Today at lunch Garrett was trying to count to a google (he made it all the way to 100 and then skipped straight to a google!) It is his favorite number and he is aiming to live to be that old--good luck Garrett! Anyway right in the middle of the counting Grant pointed at me and in a loud voice said "Give me back my fillet-o-fish!!" So I've been laughing all day hearing his little voice singing th McDonald's commercial. He quotes movies non-stop. His current favorites are from American Idol, singing "pants on the ground," and from Night at the museum, "Oh, he's so cute. Just like a little piece of cous-cous." (said with a lisp).

Miya on Easter Sunday, wearing her heirloom dress made by Nana

Grateful for Garrett

2009-12-27T16:13:00.004-06:00

The morning my Mom left to go back home, I was on the verge of tears, really missing her and feeling overwhelmed with everything. I was trying to get the kids' lunches made, sign school papers, then get Shayla dressed with snowpants, boots, hat, gloves, etc. and out the door to catch the bus, and Miya was crying. Garrett was very distressed that Miya was crying and was hovering over her trying to get her to stop. I asked him if he could help me by holding her, and he quickly agreed. I finally got Ty and Shayla out the door in time to catch the bus, turned around and this video is what I saw.

What a sweet Garrett I have. Suddenly I knew we were going to be okay because everyone would step up and help out and somehow we would make it. Tender mercies and answers to prayers.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T16:03:00.003-06:00

Can you guess who this is?

Santa, that's who!

We inherited this Santa suit from my sil Emily H. and have had so much fun with it!! It is magical--thank you Emily!

Tyler got to deliver Christmas gifts to a few families in our ward in it, and then he made a special appearance (after falling off the roof) Christmas Eve as we gathered with some friends to reinact the nativity. I wish I had pictures of the kids' faces as they spotted Santa out the window, and then when he came in and gave them all candy canes and told them a Christmas secret. They were enthralled and I loved the magic of it all.

But the best moment was when Grant and my niece Felicity sneaked out of bed and were caught by Santa. Felicity froze, and slowly walked backwards into her room without saying a word. Grant just froze, deer in headlights style. Santa asked Grant if he wanted to sit on his lap and tell him what he wanted for Christmas. Grant thought about it for a minute, and then got a huge smile on his face and danced his way over to Santa's lap. Grant has been talking about "Sampa" ever since. "Sampa said "ho, ho, ho."

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-12-18T14:22:00.000-06:00

5 kids

4 cars

4 states

2 countries

1 dog

2 fish

2 houses

5 apartments

trials - enough

countless blessings

10 wonderful years

I love you more each day and

can't wait to see what our next 10 years will bring.

Happy Anniversary, love!

Miya's blessing day

2009-12-16T15:31:00.006-06:00

Miya's blessing day

We blessed Miya at home on Sunday, Dec. 6th.

It was special to have just a few good friends and my Mom there.

Kevin, Tyler and Jesse performed the ordinance

Admiring their new sister

Miya was done with pictures by this point

My Mom and Grandma J. made this blessing dress when my sister was born.

All of the granddaughters on my side have been blessed in this dress.

I couldn't resist taking some naked baby pictures.

Miya's favorite pasttime.

Doing what she does best :)
Miya (pronounced Mee-ya) is a Japanese name meaning "temple" or "increasingly beautiful."

We had such a hard time naming her, but felt like Miya just fit her perfectly.

More on Miya...

2009-12-16T15:03:00.005-06:00

Finally more pictures. Life has been pretty crazy with 5 kids, but we are alive and here are the photos to prove it :)

A little Daddy-daughter time

The kiddos with Grandma

The whole family--I can't believe there are 7 of us!

Grant held Miya for a millisecond and luckily I got a photo of it

My Mom and Miya. It was SO wonderful to have my mom with us for 2 weeks. I wanted to cry when she had to leave. Come back soon and visit, Mom!

Garrett LOVES his little Miya

Sisters! Shayla couldn't be more pleased

(well, she did say she wished Miya were 6 years old like her so they could play :)

Big brother Ty--such a good oldest son

Taking Miya home

Garrett loves to lay on the floor next to Miya and snuggle

We got home from the hospital on Wednesday, and got a phone call an hour later from the school nurse. Shayla broke her arm when she fell off of the zip line at recess.

When it rains, it pours :)

Introducing...

2009-12-02T20:04:00.003-06:00

Miya Leilani Hacking!

She was born at 1:53pm on Monday November 30th, 2009

and weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 1/2" long.

We are loving our little Miya and are so thankful she is healthy and strong and here!

I'll try and post more pictures and details tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T19:55:00.007-06:00

I'm thankful for moose tracks ice cream, warm summer sun, good books (preferrable read while soaking in that warm summer sun), bear hugs from my kids, dates with my love, going barefoot in the grass or sand, the smell of lilacs and plumerias, good friends, laughter (especially Grant's infectious 2 year old laughter), good health, down comforters in the middle of winter, my house right after I've cleaned it (for the 5 minutes that it lasts), my cell phone, freedom, family,

my Savior, life and all of the blessings that it brings.

What are you thankful for?

Enjoy the following video clip and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwid8_O8dk

and the secret ingredient is...

2009-11-24T07:58:00.004-06:00

The other day at lunch Garrett, Grant and I were eating leftover lasagna. This was the conversation Garrett and I had:

G: Hmmm, (as he picked through his lasagna) is there squash in here?

Me: No

G: Bikini?

Me: You mean zucchini?

G: Oh yeah, zucchini (sheepish grin)

I just keep chuckling about it, so I had to record it.

Nerdy Mom

2009-11-19T21:39:00.001-06:00

The other day as I was driving Ty and Shayla to school, Ty told me how embarrassing it is when I send a note in his lunch. His football buddies try to steal it away and tease him about it. Okay...so no more notes. He's only eight, but I'm already embarrassing him. How is this possible? I thought it wouldn't kick in until middle school. I used to be so cool...I was the expert on everything, and now...

Actually, it started REALLY early with Shayla. Last year I promised Shayla I'd come to lunch with her (she was in Kindergarten) and she was so excited. Well, I had a crazy morning of errands, worked out at the Y, and didn't have time to shower after my workout. I had a choice--skip lunch with Shayla or run over in my workout clothes and keep my lunch date with her. Well, I chose to keep the lunch date, thinking she would rather have me there than skip it just for my pride. Wrong! As soon as she saw me she said, "Mom, your hair is all messy!" She then proceeded to tell me to take my ponytail out and it would look better. Once that correction was made, she seemed okay enough with my appearance to still be excited about having lunch with me. I just thought I had at least 5 years before I had to watch my every move around my kids at school and with their friends.

I remember when I was 12 or 13 The Little Mermaid came out and my Mom took all seven of us kids to go see it. We didn't go to the movies a lot, so we were pretty excited. We went to the store first and each picked out our favorite treat to sneak in with us (you remember those .10 boxes of lemon heads, jaw breakers, etc.), and then settled in at the movies. I remember being SO embarrassed when one of my younger brothers/sisters (can't remember who--but it was probably Jacob) dropped their candy and you could hear it rolling all the way down to the front of the theatre. And then you could hear my little bro crying because he lost his candy. I was trying to sink into my seat so that I wouldn't be seen. And now I look back--what was the big deal? We make much bigger scenes on a daily basis now just going to the grocery store. A few tantrums, spills, scenes...that's nothing! All in a days work :) And you know what? I think it's good for my kids to have some healthy humiliation via their mom -- I'm pretty proud of myself that I can embarrass them so well already. It builds character, right? I think it means I'm doing something right :)

So maybe I'll still sneak an occasional note into Ty's lunch. I told him I'd just put it inside his sandwich and he'd have to eat it to know what it said. He just rolled his eyes. Can't wait until he's a teenager. As for Shayla, she loves getting notes in her lunch, so at least someone appreciates me...for the time being (as long as i fix my hair and put make-up on). Sheesh, who knew it was so tough out there for a nerdy mom.

Grant Funnies

2009-11-12T10:20:00.004-06:00

Grant is entering such a fun age. He talks like crazy and is always cracking us up.

He got a free yo-yo at the pumpkin festival we attended, and was thrilled with it. He kept calling it his yo-yo-yo, which made him sound like a little rapper.

He loves to "read" books and uses a really funny monotone voice. Hmmmm, is that what I sound like when I read to him? (sorry, couldn't get video to load).

He is his father's son. The other day he was sitting on Tyler's lap as he checked the football scores on the computer. Grant pointed to the Broncos logo and said, "That Broncos...who that?" (as he pointed to the opposing team logo). Tyler couldn't have been prouder :) ( he also knows the Packer's logo--smart kid!)

Lucky Mama...

2009-11-04T10:03:00.000-06:00

So, I've never thought I was an extremely lucky person, but lately, I've been on a winning streak. I've won 3 contests in the past month if you can believe that.

1. Best dessert at our ward chili cook-off. I made a strawberry ruhbarb coffee cake and won a $10 gift card to Culver's. Frozen custard and cheese curds, here I come! Hooray!

2. Free facial at a spa (valued at $55) from Boomerang Kids--a local kids consignment store. This will be my first time having a facial--I can't wait!

3. $50 gift certificate to the Orchard Restaurant from my bank.

So this winning streak reminded me of the last contest I won 2 1/2 years ago. I was 9 months pregnant with Grant, and saw a local hunting shop that was having an open house with free pizza and pop. Tyler was out of town, and I thought it would be the perfect free dinner for us, so we stopped by (looking a bit out of place), ate our pizza and pop, entered a drawing and left. Lo and behold, I get a phone call telling me I had won a compound bow! I didn't even know what a compound bow was, but I won! I went in with all 3.5 kids to pick it up, and found out I had to be fitted for it, which was hilarious considering I was so pregnant. The shop owner asked if I was a hunter and I just laughed. I think he knew I had just come for the free food. So I decided to send Tyler in for it because I knew I'd never use it. I told Tyler he could keep it if he wanted to take up bow hunting or sell it and use the money to buy the road bike he had been wanting. I think he sold the bow for $450 on ebay and put that towards his new bike.

So, I'm thinking about taking a little trip to Vegas to earn money for the kids' college funds :) Anyone want to join me?

By the way, here is the winning recipe from #1 above. It is delicious served warm with ice cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

1 box yellow cake mix, divided
2/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. cold butter

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 1/2 c. finely chopped rhubarb

1 1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries

In a bowl, combine 2/3 c. cake mix and sugar, mix in butter until crumbly. Add walnuts. Set aside. Place remaining cake mix in another bowl. Add eggs and sour cream. Fold in rhubarb and strawberries. Spread into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle w/ reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Gratitude

2009-11-01T17:59:00.005-06:00

I am so grateful for my Savior and my husband. Words cannot express how I feel right now, but I will try.

It has been a hard week. I'm so glad it is over, and have hope that next week will be better. On Monday Shayla woke up with a fever, so we snuggled her up in the van as we drove off at 7am to take Tyler to the airport. He had a business trip all week and wasn't getting home until Saturday afternoon. Well, to make a long story short, Shayla passed her fever/flu on to Garrett, and then me and then Grant, and I was taking care of sick kids all week, and not getting much sleep. I'd fall asleep, only to wake up with a sick child, finally get him/her back down, start falling asleep when someone else would wake up and we'd start the whole process over again. By Friday morning I think I was delerious. That's when Tyler came home and rescued us. He is my hero. He asked me if I wanted him to come home, and I told him no, we'd be okay, and I knew he still had things he needed to be at through Saturday. He got off the phone with me, scheduled his flight home and called me back saying he was coming home anyway. How I love my man. He knew I needed him here more than I could say. He got home, picked up my Tamiflu prescription, tucked me into bed, then tucked the rest of the kids into bed and took care of them all night so I could sleep. I slept for 10 hours straight and felt human again when I woke up. Everyone was feeling so much better we were still able to enjoy Halloween and all of the festivities and candy that come with it. And although Garrett has had a relapse today and his fever is back, I know that we are on the mend.

I was studying about Faith in Christ last week and that was such a blessing. I think it was the only thing that got me through. I read that faith is a principle of action--both mental and physical. I thought about that for a long time. What is mental action? I've always thought about the physical action, to act on the promptings and answers we receive, but mental action is a bit more abstract to me. I think means that our thoughts are more powerful than we think. That our faith in Christ needs to be so solid that even when we don't get the things we pray for and desperately need, that our faith should be strengthened in knowing that our Heavenly Father has something even better to teach us and give us through our trial. That thought helped me immensely last week. I tried to thank my Father for the strength to take care of my kids, and for the perspective to know we would eventually get better, and we would make it through. And then when I couldn't do it anymore alone, he sent my husband home to take care of me.

I know my Savior lives and is aware of my every need. He has felt every pain or sorrow I have ever felt, and he understands and loves me perfectly, imperfections, weaknesses and all. I know my prayers and heard and answered in the way that will be eternally best for me. I am blessed.

One of my favorite scriptures: Romans 8:31-39

"31 ...If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2009-10-31T22:10:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I actually took this pic earlier in the month, no snow on Halloween night
Little Red Riding Hood Shayla, Vampire Ty,
Bam-Bam Grant and Raphael TMNT Garrett
The kids had a blast trick-or-treating with Tyler, even though it was in the 30's
and I had fun passing out candy to the neighborhood kids.
And we now have a years supply of candy on top of our fridge.
The best kid holiday ever invented.

Staycation

2009-10-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

I balanced the camera on the stroller sun-visor, and set the timer--it started slipping but we kinda got the shot!

"Think Happy"
I think they are doing just that

The kids had a 5 day weekend for the WEA, and we planned to go up to Duluth and visit Lake Superior, but the weather was below freezing, and we wimped out.

Instead, we decided to play right here in our own backyard. We had a great time going to the Mall of America and riding all the rides one day, and then played at the indoor WaterPark of America the next. We also spent a day getting projects done around the house and then had a nice relaxing Sunday together. It was such a great family week together.

Grant was such a good sport--there weren't many rides he could do, but he had fun just hanging out with me and jumping everywhere he went.

Happy Birthday, Love!

2009-10-26T21:56:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, love!!! I have a feeling 33 is going to be a great year.

Presents and breakfast in bed
Grant helped Tyler blow out his candles

I know I'm REALLY pregnant when...

2009-10-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

1. A little kid walked up to me at church, stared at my belly, pointed, patted my belly and said, "Hey, is there a baby in there or what?"

2. Grant ran across the room to give me a big hug, and his head bounced off of my belly before his arms could wrap around my legs. I laughed pretty hard over that one!

3. Painting my toe nails counts as my workout for the day. I'm talking break-a-sweat-work-out. Really.

4. I try to squeeze between the wall and chair at the table and get stuck.

5. I cannot listen to certain songs (okay, pretty much any song that involves love, kids, patriotism, beautiful melody, etc.) on the radio without tears flowing down my cheeks. Truly a driving hazard.

6. I would give anything to sleep through the night--3am wake up calls are the norm.

7. The perpetual food spilled on my belly, or the line of water on my belly after doing the dishes or washing my hands.

8. I have to turn sideways to do the dishes.

9. My walk is a waddle, no matter how hard I concentrate on walking normally.

10. Belly button...where'd ya go?

11. The men who think it's okay to rub my belly while they talk to me. Would they ever do that to a non-pregnant woman? Of course not! But really, what's the difference, it's still my body.

About the photos...(BTW, these are NOT photos of me--just the best of what I found when I googled "huge pregnant belly.") Notice the sweet baby foot in the photo below--amazing! The first photo I will look at when I'm feeling particularly huge--it could always be worse.

Fun with the Hackings

2009-10-11T18:53:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of some creative friends of ours--who knew we had such a cool name?!!

Definition of the Hacking Family:

When they are eating between meals, they are Snacking Hackings.

When they are piled up together, they are Stacking Hackings.

When they are going on vacation, they are Packing Hackings.

When they are fighting, they are Smacking Hackings.

When they are hunting, they are Tracking Hackings.

When they are flirting, they are Macking Hackings.

When they are at war, they are Attacking Hackings.

When they are poor, they are Lacking Hackings.

When they are encouraging others, they are Backing Hackings.

When they are celebrating Easter, they are Cracking Hackings.

When they are being kidnapped, they are Sacking Hackings.

When they are talking a lot, they are Yacking Hackings.

When they are sailing up wind, they are Tacking Hackings.

When they are playing the mole hitting game at the fair, they are Wacking Hackings.

When they are lazy, they are Slacking Hackings.

When they are polishing their Sunday shoes, they are Blacking Hackings.

When they are feeding ducks, they are Quacking Hackings.

The Minnesota State Fair

2009-09-28T22:01:00.006-05:00

This was our last hurrah of summer. Oh, the food we consumed. All fried and on a stick. We enjoyed everything so much we forgot to take pictures of it. We enjoyed fried cheese curds (my fav), grilled chocolate sandwiches, brat burgers, garlic fries, fresh rootbeer, chocolate milk, ice cream and cotton candy. What's not to love about the fair?

Riding the bus from the park-n-ride to the fair

Strangest freebie at the fair--yes, it is Maple Bacon flavored chapstick.

How did THAT get past the focus groups? Yuk!

Horses

Cows

Grant LOVED this ride. His laugh was infectious and I love re-living this moment.

Garrett doing push-ups for the Army

Ty doing push-ups for the army guy (for a free t-shirt)Grant just enjoyed watching the girls do push-ups :)

Milking the fake cow

Cotton Candy

Grant wouldn't even try it--I think he thought it really was cotton.

This is how we all felt by the end of the day.

Amazing bike/skateboarding show

Screaming, laughing, no-hands good time

1st day of school 2009

2009-09-28T21:29:00.003-05:00

This actually happened Sept. 1st, so I'm a bit behind. But the kids are doing great at their new old school and I'm proud of the way they've adjusted and made new friends.

Shayla 1st grade
Ty 3rd grade

The whole gang

Shayla's backpack hook

Shayla with her substitute teacher--her regular teacher had a baby

and won't come back until December.

Shayla feels extra special to have not one, but two teachers.

Ty in his class--ready to learn!

Garrett and Grant on the 1st day of Joy School

It was at our house so Grant got to attend.

I don't know who was more excited--G1 or G2.

Snack time--a favorite of all

September 11th

2009-09-11T06:26:00.005-05:00

Eight years ago today I was getting ready to go for a morning walk with my friend, oblivious to what was happening in New York City. Ty was just 6 months old. My friend called and told me to turn on the TV. I sat in shock and disbelief as I watched the Twin Towers go up in smoke. I will never forget the emotions I felt, the sorrow for the evil in the world, for the people who died, for those who so bravely sacrificed to save others, and for the families who lost loved ones.

I think it such a testimony to the power of the human spirit that out of tragedy comes greatness. That out of the dust and rubble of destruction and hate can come such hope and love and power for change. The human spirit is an amazing thing, and I am continually amazed by people all around me who confront trials and suffering with faith in the Lord and a perfect brightness of hope.

I will never forget those who have sacrificed for our great nation, and hope to show that remembrance each day of my life, living to appreciate and defend the freedom that I enjoy each day.

Click on the following link to see the inspiring story of a 9/11 survivor. Have a wonderful day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWc_EKLs4E

Book Review

2009-09-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

I just read "I Am A Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson and LOVED it! It's a quick read--easy to pick up and read during 5 minute (okay, 15 minute) bathroom breaks. Jane was a successful host on the Early Show and news anchor, traveling around the world interviewing political leaders, successful people, famous people, etc. She walked away from all of that when she became a mother, and decided to be a stay-at-home mom. I loved the honesty and candor of her book about the challenges of being a stay-at-home mom, but the fact that she never loses sight of the importance of what she is doing and how she is shaping her children.

She tells of one interview she did with Phyllis Diller (a famous comedian) who shows her her huge shoe collection and tells the story of each pair of shoes, who she performed with, what lessons she learned while wearing those shoes, why she loved each pair of shoes. Jane had gone to the interview with preconceived notions about Phyllis and her over-the-top comedy and personality, and had judged her. During the interview she found a real soul mate and made a friend for life, realizing her prior judgement was way off. Her point was that all of us moms, stay-at-home, working, single, in school, whatever our various roles may be, need to stick together. We are all doing the best we individually can and need to give others the benefit of the doubt, not judge, but love and support all of the other mothers around us. Until we have walked in another's shoes, we really don't know enough to judge.

I have been guilty of saying, "I'm just a mom," when asked what I do. I've never meant it in a derrogatory way, but it has popped out of my mouth that way before I could stop it. I boldly declare to the world that I AM A MOTHER--BEST JOB IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! And I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

2009-08-29T22:14:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I was listening to Glen Beck on talk radio, when I heard a caller invite him to something (a political thing, I'm sure--I started listening halfway through the conversation and didn't hear what) for a particular weekend. Glenn said he would love to be there, but he already had plans that weekend. Let me paraphrase what he said: "I was reading my scriptures and it hit me that I had never spent a weekend on my knees, in prayer. I have planned a weekend with my family and a few friends to join in fasting and prayer, and to really seek to hear His voice. So many times I hear Glenn's voice, what I want to do, what I think, etc., but I really want to get better at hearing His voice and knowing what He would have me do."

There I was, driving to the zoo, listening to a national radio station and I felt like I was sitting in a fast and testimony meeting. I was so uplifted to hear Glenn share a piece of his testimony and I wanted to share mine, too. I was so proud of him and so grateful to have people in the media who stand for truth and will fight to seek and uphold all truth.

I know that in spite of all of the political and economic turmoil in the world, everything will work out in the end. I know that we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, who leads the Lord's church just as He would if he were here upon the earth. I know that the future is as bright as my faith. I don't need to fear or worry because I know who will win in the end. I am grateful that my home can be a safe haven from the worries of the world, and that I can teach my children right from wrong and pray for them that they will make good choices and be the strong, valiant children I know them to be. I love my life. I love my family. I love my country and pray for its leaders. I'm not too happy with the direction they are taking our country right now, but there is always hope. And I'm going to keep praying.

Then and Now

2009-08-27T20:36:00.009-05:00

My sis, Kris, pointed out that I had conveniently only posted pics of me hiding my preggo belly behind my kids, tables, etc. All part of the plan, my dear sis. Here's why.

This was me 5 months pregnant with Ty, baby #1

(I was Princess Leia for Halloween):

I just had to include this one--me with my hunky Indiana Jones husband. Lucky girl I am!

This is me 6 months pregnant with baby #5:

Notice a slight difference?

Dairy Days

2009-08-16T14:45:00.006-05:00

The kids always love the petting zoo
Garrett really wanted to feed the cows

Grant and Garrett driving the tractor

Ahh, Grant takes after his mom

in regards to ice-cream-loving

Ty and Shayla with some friends

Makes me think of the song "Oklahoma!"

Grant having a chat with the cows

So living in Wisconsin has its perks. Like visiting this dairy farm that opened its doors to the city folk for a day. Wisconsin cheese curds, battered and deep fried, are the best! And the ice cream isn't bad either. I think I'm becoming a Wisconsin-gal. I really love it here--especially in the summertime.