To take a nap, to shower, to clean, or to blog

The title of this post lists my activities of choice (in order of highest priority) when I can manage to get both kids down for a nap at the same time. Any free time I have, goes to these fun filled activities. So, that's my excuse for not blogging for a bit, so here's a big update of activities from the start of the year.

New Years Eve was a mellow evening spent with AK and Carrie next door. We had dinner and played the WII for a little bit. We were happy to have a slow night of not staying up late (with little kids, partying until the wee hours will have to wait).

We had anticipated a slow start to the year, but then my sister Cally called and said she and her husband were going to Disneyland. Jason and I have a very hard time passing up Disneyland, so we invited ourselves. Afterall, Jack was a Disney virgin, and needed to be initiated to the club. Jack celebrated his 3 month birthday on It's A Small World.

It was a great trip! Very crowded, but still fun. It was great for me, because I wasn't pregnant, so I got to go on my favorite rides. And Cally took over the role of the pregnant babysitter with our 2 kids and her son. Kimball stayed asleep in her little stroller, and Jack ended up in her arms. Thanks Cally!!

The next weekend we headed up to Midway to see my parents and to hang out with my sister Sammy (who lives in Texas). My dad rented a snowmobile and we all had fun on it. Kimball and her cousin Ashton were very happy riding up in front or being pulled behind in a tube. It was a fun girls weekend with my sisters and our husbands and kids, and my parents.

My mom let me celebrate my birth day a little early and made me the traditional birthday cake. It was delicious. I attempted this cake on Sunday, but couldn't quite make it look as good as this.





Once we got home, we went to Pump It Up, for a ward play group. Kimball had a blast jumping around in the bouncy houses and going down a HUGE slide. She really has no fear!





Finally, it was my birthday on Saturday. Yes, I am now 30 years old, and my mom said now I really am an adult. I guess so, but I sure don't feel like it yet. To celebrate, Jason (the best husband ever) bought me 30 red roses and made me breakfast. Thanks mi amor.











After breakfast, we headed up to St.George to celebrate Grandpa's 90th birthday (on 1/22/09). He asked/made each of his 7 children perform in a quick impromtu program. It was very fun seeing his kids and grandkids celebrate his birthday. And, what an amazingly talented family! I told Jason I hate his family after hearing all the music that they can make, but really it's just jealousy because I can't carry a tune to save my life. So, that's the quick and long update.

The Best Christmas Presents EVER

As a kid, I always wondered if my parents enjoyed Christmas, or more to the point, if they enjoyed opening their presents on Christmas presents. I always thought, couldn't Santa find anything more exciting for my dad than a pair of socks or a new tie? I remember thinking that Christmas morning isn't going to be very much fun when I get old (because my parents were so old). Well, I have discovered the TRUE meaning of Christmas presents as a parent. For me, it's really about watching your kids and seeing their excitement with the presents. Kimball is just old enough to show us how much she likes her new toys. And, I had a blast shopping for her and Jack. I hope my parents had as much fun watching us, as Jason and I did watching Kimball on Christmas morning. And I know it will just get better with every year... at least until they become teenagers and get "too cool" to get excited over Christmas morning.

Here's Kimball and her favorite toy for the year (we hope it holds her attention all year).

And Jack, with some of his new toys. He's not quite to the point of excitement as his big sister, but next year should be really fun. Notice he's not even in his Christmas p.j.'s because he didn't get a chance to get to play with his presents until the next morning.








Don't get me wrong, Jason and I definitely enjoy the presents that "Santa" brings to us. Jason just shows his excitement more than I do. And that's why I love him!

And, one more video of our crazy little girl, who can create her own fun with or without toys. Watch the door handle.

Too Many Herschels and Jack

On Monday, the whole Herschel (Jason's Grandpa) family got together for a little Christmas party. It was fun to see most of the family, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, but my favorite part was getting Grandpa Herschel, Lowell (Jason's dad who's really Herschel), Jason, and Jack to get into this picture. This is 4 generations of Hafen men and 3 of them are Herschels. Maybe I'll make Jason an honorary Herschel, so he doesn't feel left out. I hope when Jack grows up, he realizes how great the men are that he is named after. He has big shoes to fill. No pressure little guy.

I'm just going to make this post all about Jack. He's starting to get really cute. He is learning how fun sticking out his tongue can be. It's now if favorite pose. He's also still demonstrating his cross-eyed look.

He's starting to smile and coo, which is really fun. This kid love his plug/pacifier, he keeps it close at all times. Even if he's sleeping.

And, to see live tongue action, here's a fun video.

Oh, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Zero to Five Inches in 5 days

Looking at this picture that was taken 5 days ago (12/12/08) you would think that living in Las Vegas definitely has it's winter time perks. Such as this day we took Kimball and Jack to the park. It was a nice 68 degrees and very pleasant. The weather guys had mention something about it being one of the last "nice" days before winter coming. I don't think even they had any idea what they were talking about. But this is what happened today....

This picture was taken earlier this evening. Yes, I brought Jack outside, and yes, he is in a pink snowsuit. Kimball never got to use it last year, and I figured he wouldn't mind... at least not until he's 16 and I show this picture to the girl he has a crush on.

Here's some pics that show the progression of the winter wonderland outside our door.

The first pic was taken about 1pm, and I was thinking it wasn't going to stick, so I better capture it, then by 3pm-4pm our street was totally covered, and this last picture was taken when we came in for the night at 6:30pm. It was fantastic! Except for Jason driving home from work... it took him an hour to go 1.5 miles (he had to circle around for another try after he got stuck the 1st time).

Here are some other pictures of our fun night in the snow.

Kimball had been watching the snow fall all day and couldn't wait for Jason to come home so we could got out and play.











Kimball got ready (not really used to snow suits.) Thanks Katrina for not letting me return this to you earlier. You were right when you said I might have another time to use it.

This is me "trying" snowboarding at my at my favorite resort... Copper Palm.

This is Kimball trying to walk in her outfit. Kinda reminds me of the kid on The Christmas Story that couldn't put his arms down.

And last, but not least, what should have been our Christmas Card this year...

Jason helped our neighbors across the street build this snowman in their backyard.
Snow in Henderson... what a great night!

The last 4 weeks... Showers, Road trips, "Family Meetings"

Time flies by so quickly. Here's a bit of an update since our last post. First, the wonderful women that Jason works with had a little baby shower for Jack. Jack got passed around, and actually behaved himself for the most part. Those ladies are great, and we appreciate all that they do for us. Here's some pics of Jack and the ladies.


Of course, Kimball, not to be out done by her baby brother, stole the show and was voted in as the office mascot. They even found a "Junior Water Watcher" t-shirt so she could represent City of Henderson water services.

Jacks hair continues to grow, and we have discovered that after bath time it has quite a bit of curl to it. He really wants to give his Uncle Austin some competition in the hair department. As you can see in the picture, he's also demonstrating his amazing talent of crossing his eyes. He likes to show off this skill all the time.

Then it was finally time for Thanksgiving. To echo my little sister, we must have had too much fun because I barely took any pictures. But here's a couple.

This Kimball chillin' in the backseat. She's become quite accustomed to all the road trips up to my parents house in Midway, UT. And, just to show how grown up she is, she mimics everything Jason and I do, including wearing sunglasses. And, trying to put Jacks pacifier back in his mouth when he cries in the backseat.

Thanksgiving was awesome. All 3 of my sisters (and husbands) and my brother Ben (and wife) were there. We had a great time of Texas hold'em (don't worry, we play with skittles and swedish fish), great food, and good story telling. If you ran out of candy playing cards, then there were consequences. Including, sharing your most embarrassing moment, or singing a song in another language (which even my dad was able to do... not pretty, but he did it), or other random recitations.

My parents also makes sure we don't go away without feeling the spirit at some time during the weekend, so we had a "family meeting" where we shared something in the last year that has been a challenge but something that we learned from and become stronger. It was good to hear the experiences that we have all had in the last year. My youngest sister Sam and her husband both talked about their son Ashton, and the surgery he had when he was only 3 mos old, and how hard it was to hand over their baby to a surgeon to trust him and the Lord that everything would work out. They also shared, how hard it was to see their little guy in pain, and so swollen that he couldn't open his eyes, and not being able to take that pain away. Makes me think of our Heavenly Father, and how it must have felt watching His Son on earth, and not being able to do anything about his pain. I'm so grateful for the Atonement! Here's a pic of Ashton, trying to take a ride in the toy stroller.

Hearing the different experiences of my family made me very thankful for all that Jason and I have been blessed with. And very grateful for the gospel! I'm so thankful for brothers and sisters and in-laws that share these things and that we can all tie our experiences to the gospel, and the strength that it gives us to get through the bumps in our roads. And, thankful for parents who never let an opportunity go by to share their testimonies with us.

I'm grateful for 2 healthy kids, who bring so much joy, and learning experiences to my life. Most of all I'm thankful for the BEST husband, who stands by my side no matter what, and is the BEST dad to Kimball and Jack. I love him so much and know that I'm lucky to have him.

Sorry this got so sappy, but when counting blessings, it's just what happens.

A Purple Mouth, A Fun Hat, and A Train Ride

Life goes on here at our house. We've had a great time the last week. The first big event was that Jack's thrush came back, and was passed on to me. Which means, Jack had to be seen in public with a big purple smile. (I don't think he was too embarrassed.) And I had to take some more medicine, thank goodness it doesn't turn any part of me purple.






A couple of days later, we were all healthy enough to join all of Jason's family (only missing a few for health and distance reasons) in Williams AZ where we got to ride on the Polar Express to the North Pole.


This was our first time going with the family (yes, we were Polar Express virgins) and had no idea what to expect as far as weather, and waiting outside. Needless to say, it was freezing (but not as cold as last year, we heard) and we had to wait outside for a bit. We didn't quite pack enough warm clothes for Kimball, but Jason's family came to our rescue. Kimball borrowed Kinsey's jacket (thanks Katrina!) and someone's hat and a pair of gloves from the Edwards family (thanks Kristen!). And this is the result. We had a great time! Kimball will probably enjoy herself a little more when Santa doesn't freak her out.

For me, I hate to admit that one of the best parts was driving across Hoover Dam and checking out the progress on the bridge that's being built. It's amazing. I can't wait until it's done and we can drive over it because it's so high up!

Oh, I have to show you all that I did manage to get Kimball's hair in pigtails, just for a couple of minutes before she pulled them out.

Post Partum Delights

I've been harassed about not posting for so long, because everyone wants to see new pics. Let me just say that my hiatus has been for good reason. I have been attacked by some crappy post-partum trauma. Between mastitis (aka a boob infection) and Jack getting thrush... now on round 2 life has been an roller coaster of joy and pain. I won't elaborate, because I don't want to whine too much. I'll just add some new pics and show everyone what we've been up to lately.

Kimball likes her new brother for the most part, but has been having to find different activities to keep her busy when her mom and dad are taking care of Jack. Here's what she's been up to...

She learned to multi-task with my cell phone and her vacuum.


Spent halloween with some of her cousins (Thanks Jake and Suz for letting us borrow the costume, and Abe and Kim for hosting a fabulous party.)


Taking out all of the shoes from the basket and finding a new hiding spot.


Playing with her friend/cousin Logan.


And here's Jack, on his blessing day chilling out on his dads chest.
Thanks to everyone that came to his blessing! It was very cool to have all the support, and the biggest blessing circle ever! We love you all.


And not to forget about the Jack... I kinda feel bad that we have more pictures of Kimball, but Jason said it's because he doesn't do anything yet. Kinda true... but you should see how many pictures we have of Kimball "not doing anything." One of the perks of being the oldest, I guess.