Who let the cat out of the bag?

Okay, so my last posted mentioned something about how much I like Disneyland, and I tried to explain my obsession with Disneyland by adding even "IF" I'm pregnant (as in many Disney trips of the past) I still have a great time. Apparently many of you interpreted that "If" as in I AM pregnant. That certainly wasn't my intent of that explanation, but let me just put some of the rumors to rest... Yes, I am pregnant. Apparently I sub-consciously wanted people to know, at least that's Jason's theory to the previous post. I didn't think anyone would take it that way, but according to many of the comments, starting with Jason's like-minded sister, Kristen, I was wrong.

Anyways, I believe #3 will be due around mid-March. But I'll have a better idea after my doctors appointment in a week or two. Jason and I are a little nervous about being out numbered by kids but excited for a new baby. We'll keep you posted on further updates.

Disneyland (yes again) and Kimball's Birthday

Yes, we headed to Disneyland again, but this time with all of my sisters. It was fun to have Sammy and her family there, who lives in Texas. My parents were kind enough to come and help wrangle the 6 kids (all under the age of 2) we had all between us. It was great because Kimball got to be there to celebrate her 2nd birthday. So she got her little pin, and everyone said "happy birthday" to her. She was even dancing by a rag-time piano player who saw her pin and started playing her "Happy Birthday". She loved it and danced around.





Nana even got Kimball her first present of the day, this plush Mickey. She held it all day long, especially on Pirates of the Caribbean. She loves that ride, but the drops are starting to make her just a little nervous.






We had a little impromptu birthday party with cupcakes at the hotel to celebrate, but her real party will be with her cousins at the pool later this month.









One of the best parts of the trip for Kimball was having her cousin Ashton there. These have too much fun together. Even sharing strollers...





...and Nana and Papa. It was a great couple of days there. There's something about Disneyland that I just love, even if I'm prego and can't go on a lot of rides, I just love being there. So, I have to brag about one of the Disneyland workers that helped me out. Right after I took this pic, Kimball managed to kick off her shoe and have it fall underneath the train. It landed all the way underneath by the the far rail next to the wheel. I told the train conductor guy, a young kid name Zachary, and he climbed all the way under and got it for me. I didn't think it was reachable, and that I was going to have to wait until after the train left to be able to get it, but no, this kid just dove under the train and grabbed it for me. Awesome!



Jack even decided he could have a good time riding around strapped to Jason.



So, after a few days at Disneyland, we managed to make it home completely exhausted. We were lucky enough to have Sammy and David stay with us for the weekend before they headed back up to Midway yesterday. It was fun to hang out with her and her family because we really only get to see them 2-3 times a year. I can't wait for them to be done with dental school so they can hopefully move a little closer.

Here are a few reminders of how far our crazy girl has come.

Kimball 2 years old

Kimball 1 year old


Kimball 1 week old.

My how time flies. I could've never imagined how much we would grow to love this crazy girl. We're lucky to have her as our oldest.

The Ranch and the 24th of July

I'm sad to admit that we just barely took our kids to the Hafen Ranch for the first time in July. Yes, they were ranch-virgins. Jason went up to help take care of the yard and other chores, and the kids and I decided to join him. I did bring my camera, but only managed to get this picture of Jack on the way up.


Thank goodness Lowell took this picture of the kids out on the trampoline in their pj's.
Kimball loved seeing the trains go by and visiting with the horses. Jack loved crawling everywhere including up Grandpa Hersch's legs, over the edge of the coach, and even out on the balcony, where he managed to get a huge bruise on his head. All good times until Kimball figured out how to climb out of the portacrib and join us in bed at 3:30am.



The next weekend started a week of vacation for Jason. We headed up to my parents house for the annual family picture and for a baby blessing. All of us where there for the first time in 2-3 years.

We got to go to Park City to ride the Alpine Slides. Kimball and Jason had a blast, I could hear her saying "wee" all the way down.


The scariest part for me was having Kimball ride up on the ski lift with us... she has no concept of fear of heights and was really wiggly. I'm hoping we can get through her childhood with just a few broken bones... and no major injuries.






Jack handled the more mellow merry-go-round with Abbey. Maybe next year he'll be big enough to make it up on the slides.

4th of July Update

I finally got some pictures I was waiting for so I could give and update of our 4th of July weekend. We went up to my parents house to get out of the Vegas heat and to spend time with some of my family. The time we spend at my parents house is all about how much time we can spend outside. Especially for Kimball. As soon as she woke up, she would come downstair, run to the door, and say "outside" until someone took her out to swing, or jump on the trampoline. But this may have been her new favorite toy at Nana's house. My mom finally got a toy that she wanted for a while, the rhino, and we all put it to good use that weekend.

Jason and Nate (Cally's husband) decided to take the scooters out for a ride. Cally and I decided to follow behind in the rhino to make sure our boys stayed out of trouble.

We all ended up on the side of a mountain looking over the valley where my parents live. Notice Jason's new do... or his "scooter fro."

The day of the 4th, we enjoyed a barbecue in the backyard. Kimball and her cousin Charlie,

chowed down at the "little kids" table.

Jack and Jason getting ready to watch the firework. My parents live right next to the hill where they are set off, so the fireworks explode right above us. I was surprised that Jack and Kimball didn't get scared. Brave kids.

And here's Kimball getting excited for the fireworks to start.

I love the 4th of July and the time we get to spend with our families. It also helps me remember the great country we live in. Even though I don't agree with a lot of policies that are being made right now... I will always appreciate the fact that I live here and am allowed to disagree with the government. Either way...I love this country!!!

Thanks for having us Mom and Dad!!

And in this corner...Jack "the Brute" Hafen

After we had Jack, everyone asked us how Kimball was with the new baby. Did she poke him? Hit him? Did she try to hurt him? And generally the answer is no. She didn't really mess with him at all. However, now that Jack is mobile, he seems to have found a new toy to wrestle with. In true "boy" style, he has a very hard time staying away from Kimball when she's in the same room. I'll be changing her diaper, and he'll come and climb on top of her or grab her hair.

He has even managed to tackle her to the ground. I don't have any little brothers, but I can imagine that Jack is going to be the epitome of what little brothers are to big sisters.

I think she should've beat on him more when he was younger, while she had the chance. I wish her luck in the future, and will try to keep Jacks fingernails short to not give him any advantages.





Even when she hides, she's still got a target on her. Well, maybe because she stole his plug in this picture, and he wasn't going to let a little tunnel stop him from attacking her.

Kimball found a way to be protected and mobile at the same time.

Never to late to celebrate DADS!!!... and a quick recap

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! First to my husband who makes being a mom so much easier than it could be. He truly is the best dad ever to Jack and Kimball, by taking care of them and keeping them happy. And, for loving me as much as you do. You make my life worth every second. And always exceed my already high expectations. I love you J!!




Next, to my own dad, who taught his most intense/serious daughter how to have fun and be happy, especially when I don't think it was possible. Nothing makes me smile more than hearing my dad say "Well you know what Big Bird says..." when I'm sick. He really taught me how to learn to laugh at myself, and to keep things in perspective a.k.a. "we could all be dead by then." Thanks Dad!! I love you.


And to Jason's dad, Lowell, you are the best father-in-law I could ever wish for. Thanks for letting me tease and harass you like I'm one of your own children. You sure put up with me fantastically. Thanks, and I love you.

If you can't tell, I am a very blessed person to have these 3 men as fathers in my life. I have never questioned their love for me, my kids, or the gospel.


Now, because it's been so long, let me sum up what's been going on in our crazy house! Cally and Nate came to visit with Owen and Eli. It was a fantastic time of eating healthy (or trying to) chatting, swimming and watching our kids watch one another. These 3 had a great time in the tub. Well, I think Kimball was a little nervous to share her space, but she soon got over it. And, Kimball helped show Owen how to walk, and Owen showed Jack how to crawl. And, we got the rare opportunity to see Owen in a very silly mood. Owen is not normally very expressive... at all, so we took advantage of him being a little punch drunk and up too late.

And so, I present with great amusement... Mr. Personality!!!

And, here's Jack, getting serious about crawling for reals!

Since then we've just been playing around the house. Now that Jack is crawling pretty well (his arms are keeping up with his legs, and he's getting his belly off the ground) he seems to get himself stuck in weird places. Even though he's mobile, he still will stop when he sees me and will start crying for me to come get him. If I take too long (which is most of the time) he'll stop crying and start crawling again like nothing ever happened.



And, Kimball still continues to be the cheeseball that she is. Really, this is what I got when I said "say Cheese" to take her picture. Oh, to spend a happy day in her head. Life is just too fun for her, at least until she wants her "plug" and I won't let her have it because she's only allowed to have it in her crib. She's been practicing her scream in preparation for the "terrible two's" which I'm afraid are starting to set in.

And, we could post without a video of Kimball making her own fun.
This is her impression of one of her favorite movies "Sleeping Beauty"

Aside from all of us being sick last week, we're having fun and trying to keep eachother entertained. Oh, a few lessons I learned while we were sick. Don't try to feed a baby food when they are sneezing a lot, unless you want a sprayed look to your clothes. There's no such thing as too many naps. And, don't expect good conversations with your spouse when you're both dealing with a crabby sick kid. Jason and I were home all weekend with eachother, but still had to catch up with eachother on Sunday night.

Move Over Martha and Rollercoasters

That's right Martha Stewart, I'm going to give you the boot as the queen crafter. Okay not really, but I am feeling all sorts of crafty since Jason got me my first sewing machine for our anniversary and am proud to say that it has been out of it's box and I've finished 2 projects. Yes, it's a miracle. I'm sure Jason thought it was going to sit in the box in a closet for a year until I found it and decided to sell it on craigslist. So here they are. A dust ruffle for Jacks crib and a bandanna skirt for Kimball. Nice easy projects. If anyone knows of any easy patterns let me know.

Other than working on my new sewing skills Jason and I went to Disneyland last week (I know, big shocker). It was a well needed trip. Jason and I had just hit a little bit of a low in our rollercoaster of life, and thought we might as well go to one of the highs in our rollercoaster of life. It was a fun trip, with an exception of a bad chimichanga, and forgetting the camera. People always ask us what we do there with 2 little kids. I've decided to create a little bit of a list of all the things to do with kids that aren't big enough to go on the "fun" rides. Here's a random sampling of what fills our time (besides churros).

In Disneyland, we go on Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Train, Small World, anything in Storybook land, the Carousel, the Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise, the petting zoo, and Roger Rabbit just to name a few. AND, in California Adventure there is the Animation room where we do Turtle Talk and watch cartoons, Monsters Inc., all the rides in Bugland, Midway Mania, the playground by the Orange, and Brother Bear adventure playground.. etc.... this list doesn't count all the shows and food that can be enjoyed with little kids. Needless to say we have a blast every time, and find new tricks with every trip.

Okay, so here's some random pictures of what the kids have been up here at home.

I know when things get too quiet I need to go find Kimball, and this is where I happened to find her today. Yes, I told her "no" and did my serious face, only after I got a picture. I guess it's time to start potty training?

What? What are you looking at?

Jack is really wanting to crawl, but this is all he can manage for now.

Kimball loves to hide, and sit in baskets.