Teenagers can be a BLAST!

Logan and Lexi are not teenagers yet. Although I think that Lexi would like to disagree with that. My brother and sister both have, in my opinion some pretty great teenagers and young adults. Each of them brings something fun and exciting to all of the family events.

Chase is the oldest of the grandchildren. He served a mission in Ukraine. He is a fun loving guy that enjoys being around family and friends. It does not matter who you are you feel pretty special when you are around him. As an added plus he has a pretty good sense of humor. He is great a sports, he shines when he is doing anything physical.
(sorry mom that you look bad in the picture but is too funny not to show off.)
The next oldest grandchild is McKenzie. And too soon for me to admit she will no longer be a YSA she will be married. McKenzie is like Chase in the way that she loves to be with family. She loves to listen to what people are up to. She has an amazing voice that she gets from her mom. She along with all of the women in this family LOVES shoes.

Tyler is next in line and an all around entertaining guy to be with. If you ever need a good laugh you can turn to Tyler. He knows the line to just about every movie and quotes them quiet frequently. My kids think he is super funny.

Here is a video that he did that just makes me laugh every time I watch it. Tyler made it for his Spanish class.


And at this point the last teenager is Paige. Paige is very creative. I know that if I have a artistic question on what looks good with what or what is in style right now, Paige can tell me that. She adores Lexi and Lexi think that all the attention she gets is wonderful. Paige is very loving and I enjoy being with her on a one to one. It is at those times where Paige shines.

As I look at the rest of the kids on my side of the family, Cole and Blake are right at the tween age. There are excited for scouting and enjoying the actives of those fun years. I can not wait to see what they will be like.

On Jared's side of the family there is only one teenager, Joshua. He is a very funny guy. He loves to sing and make up stories. He enjoys watching the discover channel which has been very educational for Logan. For instance, the other night Logan and my dad were hanging out and Logan turns to my dad and says, "Grandpa I have something I want to tell you." My dad asks him what it is. and Logan replies, " Do you want to know how sheep are born? Never mind Grandpa it is too gross. ..... Ok I will tell you anyway They just poop them out Grandpa. Poop them Out!!!" My dad asks where he learned this. Logan informs him that on Sundays he watches the Discover channel with Joshua.

All of these YSA and Teenagers have been great examples to my kids. I love each and everyone of them.

VEGAS BABY!!!!

So, on Labor Day Jared and went to Vegas for a little get away. We went with another couple and had a blast. The casino that we stayed at was the Monte Carlo. The rooms were nice. We were on the eleventh floor and had a great view of the pool.
Our first day in Vegas was on Monday. We arrived at the Monte Carlo around noon and checked in. I unpacked our bags and from there we went over to the Mirage for Lunch. There is a great hamburger place that is call the BLT. Unfortunately the grill was done so we thought that we would go to the deli that was right next door that we heard was wonderful from my parents , but the wait was and hour long wait. So, instead we went to the Diablo that was at our Casino. The food was good not great. After that we walked up the strip to the Venetian to go and pick up our tickets. Instead of walking the very long hot walk back we took the monorail that runs up and down the strip. When we got back we all cleaned up and then went back out to a great Japanese restaurant.
The next day we went out shopping and just checking things out. Then it was time to head to the Venetian to go and see the Phantom of the Opera.

I can not even begin to explain how excited I was to see this show. To start off the casino is amazing to look at. The theater is modeled after the 1858 French Opera house. That is where the Phantom of the Opera is suppose to take place. When we went to take our seats , we lucked out and were offered sixth row up from the stage and center. The seats were great.

The Phantom and Christine had amazing voices. These are the actor and actress that we saw on Tuesday night.

Because this is not a touring show. There are things that are very different. Lot # 666 or the chandelier actually gets put back together as it is going up into the ceiling. and as the show is going on it shakes when the Phantom is angry. There is also a part where the Phantom hangs from the Chandelier over the audiences head. And when the Chandelier falls it comes straight down stopping a foot above the audiences heads.

Also the neat thing about the theatre is that the side are fahioned after the opera house and they have people sitting in the boxes. The entire thing was just amazing.

All in all the trip was amazing. It was so nice to get away and spend sometime with Jared.

First Day of School!

So, it is that time of year again. The time when kids go to school and mommy's get to get their work done and have fun. I still can not believe that I have two kids in school. Logan will be starting the forth grade. He is not stating where or not he is excited. He did like getting a new shirt to wear on the first day and getting a new backpack.
Lexi is starting the first grade this year. She is sad about leaving her old school. I on the other hand could not be any more excited than I am. No more uniforms, driving to separate schools, and to top it off Lexi rides the bus with Logan. My favorite part of this school year.

It seems like only yesterday they were both at home with me. WOW, time sure flies by.

Utah Fun!!

So, our BIG family vacation this year was going to Utah to have the Hansen Family reunion. While we were there we also were able to see almost the entire Latey Family as well. Jared, the kids and I stayed with my Aunt Margret and Uncle Butch. It was so nice of them to take us in like that. Our Utah trip went way to fast. We were able to visit the Gateway mall, University of Utah hospital, the Conference Center, Church Museum, Gardener's Village, experience Ifly, This is the Place and many more exciting places.
The Hansen Reunion was a Blast. It was so good to see old and new faces. There was games, visiting, food and fun. The slide show only shows a glimse of our fun time in Utah.

From Utah we headed down to Vegas where we stayed with Jared's brother Criag and his family. The first night there we went to a buffet that was at the Mandaly Bay that was really good. The next night Jared, my parents and I went to see LOVE at the Mirage.

If you have never seen a cirque de sole show in person I would highly recommend going to at least one. Love was just amazing. The music was from the Beatles. The costumes the stage everything about the show was breath taking. I loved "LOVE"! When our trip was done I was sad to see us heading home.