The Day Emily Had to Sit By “Some Random Guy”

One of our favorite stories from Emily’s first week of Kindergarten involved riding the bus.  She was really looking forward to riding the bus and knew several of the kids, so she had kind of planned on sitting next to one of her pre-existing buddies.  The first couple of days, her bus riding buddy situation went as planned, but by day three, things took an unexpected turn. 

When Emily got off of the bus I asked her which one of her friends she got to sit by.  She gave me a disgusted look with a mini eye roll topped off with the single eye-brow raise.  So I knew something serious was afoot.  She then proceeded to tell me that she “had to sit by some random guy named Miiiiiikkkkkke.  I was pretty sure this kid must have been a freak of nature based on how she said his name. 

So we reviewed what you should do when you sit by someone you don’t know.  We talked about ways she could start a conversation and how she could make their 8 minute bus ride be the least painful it could be. We talked about how you can make those situations be unpleasant or you can try to make a new friend.  Apparently, she took my advice to heart and quickly became best buddies with Mike, who actually turned out to be named Cade but she is also besties with Micah (who we think was actually who she was referring to as Miiiikkkkke), and Bradley, who is actually named Blake but she calls him Bradley because Katelyn had a BFF in Kindergarten named Bradley and his big brother is named Blake, so she felt justified in renaming him to suit her needs).

So now, Emily has developed a seating rotation for the bus.  Since her flock of boys fight over who gets to sit next to her, she came up with a schedule that accounts for the days that some of them aren’t on the bus and gives her favorite(s) an extra turn or two.  Good luck boys… you’ve got your work cut out for you.

The Day Emily Learned About Having A Hard Day

So Emily absolutely loves school.  She has a great teacher and loves her classmates.  Everything has been going really well, but a funny thing happened the other day…

She got of the bus and ran and jumped into my arms just like she always does, but I could tell that something wasn’t quite right.  I asked her if she had a good day, and without hesitation she she said, “No, I didn’t.”

So I asked her what happened, and she said, “Nothing, it was just a hard day.”  We talked about things some more and as it turns out, nothing terrible had happened, it just was one of those days.  We enjoyed the rest of our afternoon together and while we were playing a game, I asked her if she was feeling better.  She told me, “I feel much better Mom, but today at school was really a hard day.  In fact, I almost went down to the office.”

I asked her why, to which she replied, “Well, I was going to go down there so I could talk to that lady that you can go visit with when you are having a hard day or just need to talk.”

I nearly fell off my chair.  My sweet little girl, was going to take herself to see the counselor.  When I told Katelyn the story later on, she said, “Mom! She was going to check herself into the NUT HOUSE!”

We laughed so hard but I am so glad that she knows how important it is to talk about it when she is feeling sad.  I am also glad she trusts the wonderful staff at her school.  Apparently when the sweet counselor came into her class at the beginning of the year and said, “If you are ever having a hard time or just need to talk, you can come and see me.”  I can’t imagine the look on her face if Emily had made it down there and told her she needed to talk.  Most adults aren’t that in tune or open with their feelings, but my baby apparently has that area under control.  May she always be so willing to ask for help when she needs it…

The Day We Learned About Snail Panties

So the other day, I had one of those conversations with Emily that I never want to forget.

She was sitting at the kitchen counter working on a dot to dot. When she finished it, she discovered it was a snail. Then, a funny thing happened...

Emily: "Mom! Guess what? I accidentally grew out of my snail panties!"

Me: "Oh no! You accidentally grew out of your snail panties? I'm so sorry. I know they were your favorite, but it's ok. That's what happens when you grow up."

Emily: "Wait! I have an idea! What if we get a tiny little container with a lid and I could put them in there and keep them forever?"

Me: "I think that is a great idea, and I am going to get another little container so I can put you in it and keep you forever. Deal?"

Emily: "Deal. I love you mom."

Me: "I love you more."

If only they really made containers that would do that.

 

 

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The Day Brooke Lost Her First Tooth

Brooke tried her hardest to lose a tooth while she was in Kindergarten but her pearly whites just weren't ready to come out quite yet. She finally had a wiggly tooth when we took our summer trip to visit family in Salt Lake and Boise and her bottom tooth finally fell out in Grandma Carol's pool. Brooke was so excited! 

  

She decided to wait until she got home to put it out for the tooth fairy. The Tooth Fairy surprised her with a cute certificate and sweet note along with $5! At the Hansen's teeth are usually only worth $1 each but a first tooth is extra special.

The Day We Went Skating

As part of our Christmas break fun, we headed downtown with the Wills for another ice skating adventure at Riverfront Park. We started off with pictures in two of our favorite summertime spots - we were glad it wasn't very cold but missed having the snow to play in on our way to skate.

We got everyone set up and hit the ice. Emily's tiny skates were adorable!

Everyone picked up right where they left off last season and skated really well. By the end of the day Emily was skating and only holding on with one hand and everyone else was cruising around. It was so much fun!

We managed to entertain ourselves while they zambonied the ice with silly pictures and hot chocolate.

 

We are so grateful for fun friends that like to play with us and are willing to do so many fun things together!

The Day Katelyn “Hacked” Kyle’s Office

When Kyle was moving into his new office at work, the girls were excited to go and see his new digs. When they discovered that one wall housed a huge white board, Katelyn set her plan in to motion... it was time to "hack" it! We were helping him move things to and from his old office, so on our final trip, Katelyn and I lingered so she could work her magic. I acted as a look out while she filled his board with fun facts so everyone could get to know him a little better. We didn't get to see his reaction but we sure had a good laugh putting it together.

The Day Brooke Was Baptized

On February 7, 2015 our little Brookie Cookie was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She was so excited for her big day and looking forward to the festivities.

To make the weekend extra special, Grandma Carol, Grandma Fran and Pop all flew in to help us celebrate.

Brooke was so happy that Kyle was going to baptize her.  They practiced and she wasn’t nervous at all.

Brooke got to share her special day with two friends from our ward, Kate and Zoey.  It was so fun for them to reach this important milestone together.

Another group of extra special visitors drove in from Seattle to be there for Brooke’s big day – the Yost’s drove all the way from Redmond that morning and had to go back that night.  It was so sweet of them to come and it meant the world to all of us.  Stacey has been Brooke’s BFF since birth and we love their family so much!

Brooke had so many of our dearest friends come to support her on her special day.  We are so grateful for their love and support.  It truly “takes a village” and I am so grateful for our village.

After the baptism we headed home to celebrate with her favorite meal… Cafe Rio pulled pork made by me with lime rice, lime muffins and chocolate cake.  This girl is easy to please and so fun to celebrate.

After dinner, we soaked up every second of play time with friends and family.  It was such a special day and we are so proud of you Brooke!