The George Family

One of my pet peeves :)

2012-01-20T15:01:00.002-07:00

Okay, I have to vent somewhere so I will vent here. One of my pet peeves is when people who took 1 class or are taking one class of ASL and list ASL as one of the languages they know on facebook. Really? I saw one of my former students do this and this particular student could barely introduce themself!
You don't list the language unless you are fluent in it.

My firstborn is 8!!!!

2012-01-16T08:40:00.004-07:00

I cannot believe it has been 8 years since my firstborn came into this world making me a mother!
Fisher is the cutest little boy and is growing up so fast! He will be baptized soon!
We love you Fisher and are glad you are part of our family!!!

He's here!!

2010-08-16T12:14:00.003-06:00

Cooper William George was born August 3, 2010! He weighed 8 lbs and was 20 inches long. He is such a good baby! He definately belongs in our family and looks a lot like his daddy and brothers!
my hard drive if full so i can't load my pics from my camera onto it. I will try and get them put on a CD and then onto the blog.
We are doing well and thank everyone who has helped!!!

ammend my last post

2010-07-16T09:22:00.002-06:00

So I saw the doctor yesterday and he told me two weeks. What?! that is what he told me a week ago! i am just so uncomfortable i don't like the thought of going any longer than needed. I guess this baby will be born either the last week of July or the 1st week of August.

the latest

2010-07-09T12:16:00.002-06:00

I saw the doctor yesterday. My lipase level is still high, although it is lower than last time. The doctor examined me and told me i would be having a baby in two weeks. what?! He doesn't want to chance anything with my health so if i don't go on my own, he will induce me. I knew it was coming, but not this soon so it is kinda crazy! I didn't have these problems when I was pregnant with Tucker but did with Fisher. i guess the real count down is on. I am 36 weeks today.

To fill you all in.....

2010-06-28T08:51:00.003-06:00

Ok today i am 34 weeks pregnant. Some of the signs of pregnacy induced pancreatisis are back so my doctor is monitoring me closely. He checked my blood and the lipase level was higher than normal so he is watching me. i don't go back to the doctor until July 8th so if it does get higher not sure how he'll treat it; most likely with steroids as long as it is safe.
We decided on the name Cooper. Steve is picking the middle name so he is still pondering that one. it was fun to see a 4-d ultra sound picture of him and i think Cooper will fit!
Aside from the pregnancy discomfort i am fine. will keep you informed.

Fisher lost his first tooth!

2010-05-03T18:41:00.002-06:00

Fisher lost his first tooth yesterday! He didn't really know what to think about the whole thing. He had been telling me for a week or so that his tooth could move, but whenever I tried to wiggle it,it didn't move much.
We were at Steve's parents house last night when Fisher came up to Steve holding his own tooth..it was out! Fisher looked a little bit worried, but a little excited. I told him it is normal and even fun to lose your baby teeth and a new, bigger one will grow in. He then got excited and saved his tooth for the tooth fairy.
My six year old has lost a tooth..I cannot believe it!

A little announcement

2010-04-07T11:10:00.002-06:00

For those of you who may not know, we are pregnant! We are 22 weeks and 3 days and found out we are having another boy! I had my ultrasound yesterday. It was so cool, this Dr. does 3-d and 4-D ultra sound. We got to see his face. One picture looks like Fisher and the other looks like Tucker so he may be a good mix! I will try and scan in the utlra sound so you all can see. Our official due date is August 4, 2010- August 8 2010.
We are excited to have another little one. I am the only girl in the house..including our dog!
That is okay we love our little boys!

Long time no posts...explanation

2010-03-18T10:56:00.003-06:00

I have not posted for about 4 months...I will explain! My hard drive on my desktop is full and I can no longer upload any photos; to add to that I think our desktop got a virus.
I will try to blog on other computers when I get the chance.
A few updates....
We had a good, but small Christmas..no one missed out on anything, but due to the economy and other factors we scaled back a lot in 2009.
We are pregnant. As of today we are about 22 weeks pregnant with another boy! He is due August 4, 2010. We are still considering a few names. We would like to stick with tradition and have an e-r name, but have to find one we both like.
Steve is going to be doing a bit of a different thing for his employment. He still has Riverside Electric Systems the residential division, but will not be doing much of the day to day stuff with that. He has joined forces with Dave Forsberg of Riverside Electric and will sell, install and maintain security systems for mostly commerical oufits.
He is liking the change but has a lot of learning and training to do along with it.

In January, I was called to be the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidenceyof the Morgan County Special Needs Mutual. It is a great calling! I have met and interacted with some great children of our Heavenly Father. There is something special about anyone with special needs. They are so loving and honest. The other women I work with are wonderful as well!

Our boys are getting big. Fisher is now 6 and in Kindergarten at Utah School for the Deaf. He is progressing well and getting so smart!
Tucker is 4 1/2 and goes to preschool 4 days a week at Utah school for the Deaf as a tuition student. Because he has a deaf family member,he can go there. He is a funny little boy and is awesome at ASL! Many of the extended family members call him the "little interpreter".
I am busy being a mom, wife and teacher and love it. I am lucky to have a great family and a job I love that allows me to spend a lot time with them while still working part time.

We celebrated St. Patrick's day Hanson style. I bought Lucky Charms for breakfast and everyone dressed in green...me included! We had a fun day and I made corned beef and cabbage for dinner then we watched "Darby O'Gill and the Little People".
This is only the 2nd year my kids have seen it and love it.
Thanks mom for teaching us fun traditions!

Cinnamon, the ultimate defense!

2009-11-16T13:52:00.003-07:00

Today I was making Amish bread and had to add cinnamon. Tucker asked me what it was; I said Cinnamon. He asked, does scripture power keep us safe from that?
it took a second for me to understand what he was getting at..sin!

Halloween Costume award!

2009-11-03T14:34:00.008-07:00

okay, I am so proud! Today the student body president of Morgan High School came into my room to present me with an award (a court jester's hat) for the funniest faculty costume on Halloween! If you cannot tell I am a true "billy bob hick" ! Do you see my teeth? You may have to click on the actual picures to get the close up look you need!

Here are the rest of our costumes. Steve's costume scared a lot of the little kids they wouldn't come get candy from him.

Tucker is a ghost and Fisher is Spiderman!

We had a fun Halloween!

suppport ASL as a candidate for Sterling Scholar

2009-11-02T12:43:00.005-07:00

I got this email from a fellow ASL teacher. Read and if you agree, please write a letter!
Dear ASL Friends,

We are ASL teachers in Granite School District who have a potential candidate for the Deseret News Sterling Scholar Program this year. The student applied for the Foreign Language Sterling Scholar and was denied because the Sterling Scholar Program does not recognize American Sign Language as a foreign language. Many of you have probably had similar problems so we feel like we need to come together to address this issue so ALL of our ASL students, now and in the future, can rightfully qualify to become the recipient of the scholarship available through the Sterling Scholar Program. Our own ASL students have put together a petition that we are going to send directly to KSL and the Deseret News to encourage them to change their position regarding ASL as a foreign language. If you are comfortable, we encourage you to join us by printing off the attached petition and having your students, and any other individuals who would like to support us in this cause, sign the petition and then mail it back to us at Skyline High School c/o Teresa Owino at 3251 East 3760 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109. This can be done through regular post or through interoffice mail. If any of you would like to take further action regarding this situation, please feel free to do whatever you deem necessary. Also, if you know others who might be interested, please feel free to forward this email onto them.If we all work together, we really can show the Deseret News and KSL that there is a strong ASL community here in Utah and that our students have the right to compete with other foreign languages.Thanks for your support and we look forward to making a change for our students!!Teresa Owino & Jody Lynn Tolley Skyline High SchoolASL Teachers

I couldn't get it to attach so if you want to join us in this fight write a short note explaining what you are doing and start a petition then send it to Skyline High School or the Sterling Scholoar program.
Thanks!

Tucker's funny prayer.

2009-10-08T12:53:00.004-06:00

Tucker said the dinner prayer Wednesday (10/7) night. It was so honest and sincere I have to share it. It went like this:

"Heavenly Father, thank you for the food. Please let Jesus come if there are monsters in my room.." and right in the middle of the prayer he burped. Without skipping a beat he said "...excuse me if I burp or fart or have to change my underwear, name of Jesus Christ amen". I had to bite my lip so i wouldn't laugh out loud! At least he learned to talk to our Father in Heaven like a friend!

I need to take more pictures!

2009-10-07T12:12:00.002-06:00

I really need to take more pictures! My Grandpa Hanson died last month, and I was looking through my pictures to find some of him...I didn't find many!
My problem is I either bring my camera places and forget to take pictures or forget to bring them. New goal: take more pictures!!

The joys of teaching high school in the technology age!

2009-09-28T11:58:00.003-06:00

Ok.. so here is a joy (or not so much!) that happened to me today. It is school policy that if any electronic devices (cell phones, mp3 players etc..)are on or even seen in class I have to confiscate them and turn them into the administration.
I have gone the whole year and not had anyone violate this, except today. One of my students had one out during a test today, (I heard and saw it) so I took it away. This student was so mad at me that they stormed out of class! Now not only does this student have a school rule violation, but they also have a truancy as well!
yeah..the joys of teaching hs in the technology age!
I really am a nice teacher, but do you know how distracting it is to me and other students if there is an electronic device in use while class is going?!

Goodbye Grandpa Glenrd Hanson

2009-09-14T15:16:00.009-06:00

Today I lost my Grandpa Hanson. He lived a good long, life..87 years. Hopefully (my parents told me they think he did)he went pain free, that is how he wanted it. He wanted to go to sleep and not wake up one day. That is pretty much how it happened. He had a bad heart and has been fighting various illnesses. One finally got him today.

I have many fond memories of my Grandpa Hanson and am so glad I had the chance to make them. He loved Bear Lake. Every summer, all the Hansons would go camping there together. This July was his last Bear Lake trip. Lucky for me, I went. The last two years I missed it. This year I didn't. I got to spend some time with him and take a few pictures.

I will always remember our 4th of July sleep overs at Grandma and Grandpa's house then walking over to Grandma Greats with him. fun times!

I spent many a fun boating and water skiing trips with Grandpa, he came to many of my violin recitals and hosted great family parties. His family was his pride and joy. You are mine Grandpa!! I love you!

I remember being on the subway in New York with Grandpa Hanson and a really rough, scary looking guy sat down by us. Grandpa flat out asked him something like..do you think I should be afraid of you? I am not! They went on to have a pleasant conversation, even laughing with each other.

He held nothing back but at the same time did not offend anyone!

I also remember being in the Smithsonian with him looking a the World War II exhibits. With tears in his eyes he told us of some of his experiences at war. A stranger overheard him and thanked him for his service to our country. I am so glad I got to have Grandpa (and Grandma) come on that trip with us!!!

It was on that trip that we saw many of the church history sites. He bore his testimony to me at seveal of the locations, testifying that the gospel is indeed true. When we we in the sacred grove he told me he knew for sure that Joseph did see God the Father and Jesus Christ.

We had a fun time together on that trip. I was preparing to serve a mission and was glad I got to spend that time with him.

When we went to Gettysburg, it was a Sunday. He told us all he could feel the Spirit there of the many soldiers who lost their lives in pursuit of a free nation. His love and pride for his country was evidenced there.

I am so glad my grandpa came on that trip with us. I got to see my grandpa in a different light and feel his love and pride of his family.

Grandpa I love and miss you ,but am happy you are enjoying a healthy body without pain or any physical trouble. You also get to see your baby Phillip again!

To my Grandpa..I love you!

Holly

some things not to forget

2009-08-04T14:22:00.003-06:00

Every now and then i have to post some of the cute things my kids say or i will forget. During spring break i took the boys to the zoo and they bought a back scratcher in the gift shop. it looks like a tiger and is very cute. they still have them and Tucker calls his a "scratcher backer". Every now and then he will ask me to get his "scratcher backer" and make it feel good. :)

i know there are problably sevreal other things that are cute, but now that i am in front of the computer I cannot think of them.

Tucker has been so exctited all july for woodbadge. he didn't really know what is was except for camping. He didn't understand that Dad would be in the training and Tucker wouldn't actually be part of woodbadge, just family camp...nevertheless, he had lots of fun! During family night they opened all the activites up for families. Tucker and Fisher loved the BB gun range! At first they didn't want to wear the protective eyewear or ear protectin, but once they got shooting they loved it! With Fisher i didn't really want to push the ear protection thing, because hey he's already deaf(!), but it was camp rules to wear them or no shooting, so we made him.

summer camping trips

2009-08-03T13:58:00.007-06:00

some Bear Lake fun. i will post a separte post of all the bear lake pictures.

getting ready to iniate the fire pit steve got for fathers day

some of the George kids at our "campfire"

This is a cool picture right after the rainstorm we had in Morgan

the double rainbow we saw while having a "campfire" in our backyard

It's about time I posted something. It has been about 2 months since my last post! well. the month of July has been all about camping. Before we left for all our camping trips we thought we'd set up the tent and make sure it all fits. Steve got a fire pit for Fathers day so we tried that out as well.

Steve started the first week off by going to camp stiener with the varsity scouts of our ward. When he got home (saturday afternoon)he unpacked his stuff from the scout trailer and put most of it into our truck to leave for Cascade Lake Sunday morning. We spent sun-thursday at the 4H camp at cascade lake with Steve's stepmoms family reunion. Her family is so big (14 siblings all but one married with kids) that about the only place big enough for us now is a 4h camp. it was beautiful scenery and all our meals were taken care of so that was really nice for me! From there we drove to Bear Lake (thursday evening) to stay until Saturday night for the anual Hanson reunion. We were in a tent again here. Poor Steve only got to sleep in bed once in the last two weeks so far. Bear lake was lots of fun and surprisingly warm and calm for Bear lake.

We got home and washed all the clothes and aired out the tent for a week then left for Camp Barlett in Idaho for Woodbage/family camp..more scout training for Steve. This also was tents.

i have really come to appreciate my toilet and running warm water. Camp Bartlett has KYBO (keep your bowells open) and 6 showers for the whole camp.

While steve was off in training the family got to have fun. The kids were separted into age groups and did different acitivies daily. i was part of the spouse group and got to do several fun things like archery, shot gun range, minnetonka cave, horse back riding, and several other options. It was lots of fun, but i am glad to be home wiht running water and my own bed!

7 years and no itching!

2009-06-09T21:36:00.004-06:00

Sunday (June 7) Steve and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we took a trip to St. George without the kids. We had a fun, relaxing weekend (Friday-Monday) with each other. It was fun just to be together without work or kids. As part of our Sunday there, we saw some of the church history sites in St. George i.e. Brigham Young's winter home, tabernacle, Jacob Hamblin home and the temple of course. I forgot my camera, so the only pictures I have are on my blackberry. As soon as I figure out how to get them off the phone and onto my computer I will post them.
We did a temple session Saturday morning and were lucky enough to be the witness couple. Its kind of funny, every time we have gone to the temple out of town we end up being the witness couple. We have been lucky enough to do that in the Nauvoo temple, St. Louis temple and St. George. We must have that glow. ha ha!
We cannot believe it has been 7 years since we got married! It has been a great 7 years full of adventure, learning, growing and bonding. We have accomplished a lot in 7 years and have two cute little boys from it. I love Steve and am so proud of him. He makes me laugh daily and is fun to share my life with. to Steve ...1-4-3!

Good friends!

2009-06-09T21:13:00.004-06:00

Steve's good friend Dave Vassilaros ,who he met in the missionfield-MTC actually, and his wife Bonnie came out to Utah and we got to spend some time with them! With the exception of about 2 hours last summer, Steve hasn't seen him since his mission 10 years ago! Dave and Bonnie live in Pennsylvania and we do not. Last year on our church history tour we happened to stay one night in Allentown, PA , Dave's hometown, so we met up for dinner.

On their trip to Utah, we were able to spend half a day with them; it was fun!

They had not eaten dutch oven cooking before and Steve is an awesome cook so he cooked up a meal and taught them how!

As a fun way to bring back memories and laughs, he bought Dave a Flannel since he always teased Steve about wearing his in the mission field.

Here are the two pictures I managed to snap while they were here.

Thanks Vassilaros for visiting and your friendship!

Happy (belated) Mothers' Day!

2009-05-13T11:20:00.012-06:00

Even though Mothers day has come and gone I have to give credit where credit is due...my wonderful mom!
I have the best Mom!!! She is so wonderful, Christlike, giving, happy, selfless, loving, compassionate, sweet, talented, nurturing, fun, smart, full of service and so much more! My mom is what I aspire to be like. When I lived at home there would be so many mornings i was up early for school ( community college) and would try and sneak downstairs so i wouldn't wake the rest of my family and would find her sitting quietly in the family room studying her scriptures with one little light on.
Other times when i would rush home from class and had about 1 hour til work she would be waiting there with a lunch for me so I wouldn't be late and offered to chat or just sit and watch one of my favorite TV shows at the time.
I cannot draw and my mom can..so there were numerous book report presentations or other assignments in elementary school that she drew for me!
My mom introduced me to the violin, my love of reading, family traditions and the joy of motherhood and having fun with your kids in the simple things in life. She would literally play in the rain with us or have leaf races after a storm.
She always made (still does) me feel important!
If I can be the kind of mother to my kids that my mom has been and continues to be to us- I will be a success! I love you Mom!!!

My dad is hip!

2009-05-01T12:30:00.004-06:00

My dad got to meet Kiefer Sutherland aka Jack Bauer when he (Kiefer) was in Utah. He came to Simmons Media and met my dad and other X96 people. Apparently he is a fan of X96. My dad said he was really nice in person and does like X96.

Now how many other dads especially those over 50 can say they listen to X96 and have met Kiefer Sutherland? My dad is pretty hip. love you Dad.

Panic stricken evening!

2009-04-23T11:13:00.005-06:00

Last night was TheUtah School for the Deaf North Division carnival. We went to support the school and help with the fundraiser. They hired a company called Custom events to put it on for them. They bring in a whole bunch of blow up toys like the ones at Bouncing off the walls or Kangaroo Zoo, plus some games, food and a climbing wall.

Our boys were having a blast going through the mazes and playing on the slides when about 2 hours into it Melissa, Fisher's teacher, approached me and asked where his hearing aid was. I told her on its on him..she then said no...the mold is in, but the actual aid is gone.

What?! I thought. IT'S LOST?! Steve and I spent the rest of the evening looking for his hearing aid all over the grass, in each slide. Many parents, teachers and ride operators assisted us in the search. Steve and I must have looked for 1 hour straight in the grass and on all the rides....no luck! They are small and hard to see. To make matters worse our hearing aid insurance lapsed last month..so they are currently uninsured. Basically we are out about $3,000. (each)

The school promised me they would go out and look with a metal detector first thing in the morning. I was hoping and praying it wouldn't rain (water damages them!)

Distraught I texted my friend who works for Starkey to find out my options. Didn't get any answers yet, he was still checking.

We finally gave up for the night and drove home, praying the whole way that they would be found. I retraced Fisher's steps this afternoon when I remember seeing him with both of them on. Steve took a flashlight and went out to look in the grass (our sprinklers had already been on though so if they were in the grass they now had water damage).

Steve then went out in the garage to look. He thought he heard something. (Hearing aids make a high pitch squeal when they are not in the ear.) He told me to turn off the lights (the florescent lights also make a noise) to hear better, then turn them back on. Steve made his way over to the bike trailer and FOUND THE HEARING AID!!!!! It was in the bike trailer. We had gone for a bike ride today and Fisher had on a helmet. When he took off the helmet it must have knocked off the aid from the tubing. Good thing one of us has good hearing..I cannot hear the high pitch unless I am right next the them holding it up to my ears.

He had gone to the carnival without even having the aid hooked to the mold and we didn't even know it!

Just when I was ready to give up something wonderful happens.

I am calling the hearing aid insurance company today!!!!

This is a picture of a Behind The Ear (BTE) hearing aid to give you an idea how small it is.

See how it can easily blend into the ground?! So the mold part (the part you actually place in the ear) was in his ear, but the tubing came unhooked for the rest of the aid.

Pictures from the zoo!

2009-04-14T15:28:00.001-06:00

Since the kids and I all had the day off for Spring break we went to the zoo! The Hanson cousins (those that could attend) came along. Enjoy the pictures!

Easter celebrations

2009-04-14T14:29:00.003-06:00

This year we had the easter egg dye/hunt at the Hansons on Saturday before Easter. All of the Hansons got together to celebrate. Here are some pictures of the fun day.

picture from the past

2009-03-26T14:08:00.003-06:00

This picture was taken in the yard of one of our ward members. Steve had gone there to help reshingle the roof and the boys wanted to go. They played in the dirt all day and we were given this picture. I love it!

As you can see it was a while ago. summer of 2007. To get a bigger view of the picture, click on it to get the full effect!

Tucker singing Nickleback

2009-02-23T12:11:00.002-07:00

Tucker loves the song "Gotta Be Somebody" by Nickelback and always sings along when it is playing on our Ipod speakers. He was singing along today and playing "air guitar" so I started taping. Soon he saw that i was filming and quit singing.

He loves this song and calls it "Nobody wants to be the last one left"

Presidents' Day weekend at the Hanson Cabin

2009-02-20T12:57:00.003-07:00

My parents have a cabin in Oakley Utah, that they graciously let our family use together. Most major holidays are spent up there with them and the cousins!

Our boys especially love going to the cabin because they get to see Grandma and Grandpa, play with their cousins and ride Grandpa's snowmobiles.. they love those machines! We spent the whole Presidents' Day weekend up there having fun.

Cousin party!

2009-02-20T12:52:00.003-07:00

All of the George cousins live in Morgan, and most of them live on our street. Faith, Riley and JD George all live next door. Faith and Fisher are only 4 months apart, Tucker and Riley are only 4 weeks apart and JD is a little ham! Our boys love to play with their cousins and invited them over for "cousin party" one night while Dave and Cami went out. We popped popcorn, played and watched a movie! They had a lot of fun and want to do it again with the rest fo the cousins.

My baby started school!

2009-02-02T14:25:00.002-07:00

Today was Tucker's 1st day of preschool. Utah School for the Deaf started a program that allows the hearing siblings of the deaf preschoolers to attend the school in a different classroom. The hope is that they will both modle language from each other. Tucker will learn more sign and have lots of fun, while the deaf kids get to hear some more advanced spoken language. He was so excited to go to his preschool with teacher Lynell.

Here are some pictures when Steve dropped him off.

playing around

2009-02-02T14:16:00.004-07:00

our boys just having fun with each other and playing around! This was Saturday January 31, 2009. Yep that is underwear on their heads! haha!

playing school

2009-01-31T09:56:00.003-07:00

Steve has our camera so I cannot post any pictures, but here is what happened this morning:
I was e-mailing a picture to the primary when i heard some noises in the family room. Fisher and Tucker both had their snow boots on, backpacks and coats and the bar stools were lined up like a bus bench. "We're going to school!"
Tucker is super excited because he gets to start preschool Monday and Fisher already attends.
They walked down the hall to "class"
CUTE!

A pocketful of sunshine!

2009-01-28T14:43:00.004-07:00

I had a great experience today! One of my students gave me "a pocketful of sunshine". She came up to me and asked (in ASL) how do you sign and fingerspelled favorite color? I showed her. She then came up to me and signed what is your favorite color? I told her and she quickly ran off. All of this was happening while my class was across the hall watching Channel one.
She later returned with a note made on my favorite color that said-
"You are such a great teacher! I have really learned so much ! Thank you for being not only a great teacher, but a great person as well! I am glad I have had the opportunity to learn ASL and have you as a teacher. You really do so much and are so amazing!"
That made my day!
Thank you !!! (you know who you are)
It was terrific validation for a first year teacher!

Fisher turned 5!

2009-01-19T14:16:00.004-07:00

Fisher turned 5 on Friday, January 16, 2009 and boy did we celebrate! I didn't have school that day so we got to eat breakfast as a family and get ready at our own pace. Since Steve doesn't work on Fridays we had a whole day as a family! We took Fisher shopping for some presents and then to lunch at McDonalds with a play place. He and his brother Tucker had lots of fun!

That nignt Grandma and Grandpa Hanson brought him (ok the whole family too) dinner...Pizza and salad..one of Fisher's favorites! That night he had cupcakes then spoiled him with time and presents..stilts and a hippity hop!

we skipped saturday (celebrating) then had the Georges over on Sunday for more spoiling and cake!

We love you Fisher and cannot believe you are already 5!

Some of Fisher's presents

I've become small town!

2009-01-13T13:49:00.006-07:00

Anyone who knows me well, especially during college will get a kick out of this! I have become a small town girl! Yep, I love good ole Morgan Utah, the city without one traffic light!
All through college I said if I was still single when I graduated I wanted to live in New York and give the publishing world a try. I lived in London for 4 months and absoutely loved it!!
But there is something great about small town life. Yes, there are frustrations here and there, but overall, it is awesome! I love that most everyone here knows each other by name. I love that the bank tellers know me by name and don't even ask for I.D. I LOVE that there is no traffiic or parking trouble! i love the close knit community. I think that thing that set this all off was my several trips to downtown Salt Lake and outlying areas during the holildays. I had the worst time finding parking and just dealing with city stuff!
This is all ironic because I am a Salt Lake city girl and SLC is not even that big compared to New York or London!
Here and there i miss the city and just drive to Salt Lake, but overall I am glad I love living in small, good ole Morgan! This is an aeril view of morgan from a website i found called soarwest. I thougt it was pretty! For all of you who do not know where Morgan is (that was me once) it is east of Ogden up I-84 eastbound. On the other side of Ogden canyon and Pineview. the population of Morgan as of January 2009 is estimated 8,000.

playtime with the blankets

2009-01-12T13:47:00.002-07:00

During our sunday rest time, Steve and I came out to find the boys had dragged all our blankets and sleeping bags out to the front room. We didn't know they could pull them all, some are pretty heavy!

the boys love their new rides!

2009-01-12T13:38:00.003-07:00

Well, Santa's gifts were a hit! We took them down to the unfinished basement to drive around until Spring. Steve had to give them a lesson in 3 point turns. They love their new rides!

The boys visit Santa

2008-12-22T08:53:00.007-07:00

The boys got to sit on Santa's lap at Fisher's Christmas program. This was especially fun since Santa could sign. Fisher was able to tell Santa his name and what he wanted for Christmas without an interpreter.

Tucker too got to sit on Santa's lap and could hold his own signing to him as well.

Merry Christmas!

Tucker enjoying USDB's program:

USDB's Christmas program..proud moment!

2008-12-22T08:29:00.007-07:00

The last 2-3 years Fisher has been going to USDB they have a Christmas program. It is so cute, and for the last 2-3 years Fisher just sits or stands there with his classic "Stone Face"...not this year! This year Fisher actually participated in the program. Here is video for proof! Enjoy!
In case you can't make out the music..it is the reindeer hokey pokey.
Fisher is in the center with the green shirt and antlers and mittens! It takes him awhile to warm up to performing...but he does do it!

Some of it may be a little blurry..sorry about that!

Christmas time at Temple Square

2008-12-22T08:24:00.005-07:00

For the last ten years or so that I have been home from my mission, my companions and I have talked (or atleast wished) about starting a tradition. Well..this year it happened! My first greenie, Sister Soderstrom, or Storm as she is more affectionately called, and her cute family met us at Temple Square to see the lights. After we all freezed our toes and fingers off we went to JB's next to Temple Square for hot chocolate.

Thanks Storm (and Ben and kids as well) for helping me to follow through with this!

Sorry this is the only picture I had. I guess we were too cold to get one of us all.

I just elfed our family and added more post

2008-12-10T17:31:00.001-07:00

I added more posts and elfed our family. remember to mute the music on the bottom of our page so you can get the full effect!

George family elfed

2008-12-10T17:23:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A few pictures of our house

2008-12-10T16:28:00.003-07:00

Many of you have asked me to post pictures of our house that Steve built. Well, here are a few. Most of these are of the kitchen and family room where the majority of our Christmas decorations are. I will try to post the rest of the house later. This occasion these rooms were both really clean!

Journal Worthy entries

2008-12-10T16:17:00.005-07:00

I seem to document more things here than my journal so here are a few more entries:

One: While putting up our Christmas decorations the boys wanted to help. As Steve was setting up the nativity set Fisher disappeared for a short while. He came back with a toy sheep and handed it to Steve. Steve placed it next to the shepherd and there it sits for a while. I thought it was so cute and sweet and glad to know he knows what the nativity set is all about!

Two: Tucker came Christmas shopping with me last week. While strolling through the electronic section of walmart he saw a football game on several of the tvs on display. He yelled (and i do mean yell) Oh football! YEAH! get the ball, go, go, go! YEAH!

I thought it was so cute and even laughed a bit!

The Polar Express surprise!!

2008-12-03T17:48:00.004-07:00

This year Mom and Dad Hanson surprised us all on Thanksgiving Night with tickets for all of us to ride the Polar Express in Heber City! It was so fun!! We were served cookies and hot chocolate, sang christmas songs, read the book the Polar Express together and rode to "the north pole". When we arrived at the "north Pole" Santa boarded the train and talked to all the kids and gave them each a bell to remind them of the story.
Thanks mom and dad..it was fun!

The Polar Express

2008-12-03T17:48:00.001-07:00

Thanksgivng at the Hanson Cabin

2008-12-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Birthday Bash!

2008-12-03T16:10:00.004-07:00

I got spoiled this year for my birthday..it lasted for 3 days! My mom took me to lunch and shopping on friday the 21st, my sisters-in-law took me shopping on saturday the 22nd (with Steve's money- his gift) and went out to dinner with him that night, then had cake and icecream with family on Sunday my actual birthday.
Kendra, my sister-in-law gave me a makeover: new haircut, style and makeup. I had so much fun just having a girls day! Here are pictues of my new do and b-day party!

Fisher's veteran's day program

2008-12-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

USDB had a veterans day program and Fisher's class got to participate. Steve and I thought this year would be the year when he finally participates...not much!
It was still cute to see him sit up there with his class.

November..all ready?!

2008-11-01T09:31:00.000-06:00

Well, it is official..it is November 1st. Halloween has come and gone. Our kids had fun and lasted a lot longer trick or treating last night than in years past. I didn't add any new photos because they are the same as our Halloween party and scarecrow. Some punk did steal the hockey mask off our scarecrow last night. We went trick or treating with Kendra an Kinzie and got loads of candy! We live in a fun neighborhood. I woke up this morning and Christmas music was playing on KOZY. Crazy!! Happy november all!

Kendra's 2nd anual Halloween party for the kiddos!

2008-10-29T18:56:00.000-06:00

This is the second year Kendra has organized a Halloween party for the kids. Its was so much fun and well put together. The only thing she asked of us was to use our yard.
thanks for a fun party Kendra!

truly scary scarecrow!

2008-10-29T15:41:00.000-06:00

Our boys begged us to make a scarecrow this year to sit on our porch for Halloween. We made this for a FHE activity and had fun doing it, however, we did too well at it! Tucker is scared of the scarecrow and refuses to go in the front door unless Steve or I block the view of the scarecrow!

Fisher thought it was fun and isn't scared of it at all!

Tucker doesn't look too scared of it here,but he is now! I think it is funny that the kid who begged us for a scarecrow won't even come near it now.

6th anual George/Atwood pumpkin carving

2008-10-29T15:18:00.000-06:00

For the last 6 years Nick and Andrea Atwood and us have gotten together for dinner and then pumpkin carving. We started this tradition before any of us had kids and haven't missed a year yet! We either go out to eat together or get take out, buy our pumpkins together and have fun carving them. Now that we have added kids to the picture, they love it! We had fun Atwoods..thanks!

Fall break

2008-10-28T14:16:00.000-06:00

I didn't have to work last Thursday and Friday so I took my boys to the dinosaur park in Ogden, we met my sister and her kids there. We had fun hanging out together and seeing the dinosaurs. Some of them scared Tucker a little bit, but not too bad!

This was as far as Tucker would go because the skeletons were scary, but Fisher went all the way in!

Check out my dinosaur wrangler!

climbing the hill with their cousins.

more palmyra/kirtland trip

2008-10-11T21:01:00.001-06:00

Hill Cumorah Pagent tour part 2

2008-10-11T20:27:00.001-06:00

Finally...more Hill Cumorah Pagent tour pics

2008-10-11T20:25:00.000-06:00

Ok so it has taken me a few months to add to our Hill Cumorah Pagent tour album, but here it is..some more at least.

My baby is 3!

2008-10-02T17:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Tucker, my baby, turned 3 years old! I can't believe how fast time has gone. He is so big and so smart! We had a fun day and celebrated with a family party that evening. His Grandma Hanson or "Grandma Mel" as Tucker called her, came and got him on Tuesday and took him out to lunch and shopping for a present. He was so excited. She took him to pick out a cake and he loved that!
I asked him what Grandma and Grandpa got him and he kept telling me cake!
My little baby is growing up! He is even fully potty trained. WE love you Tucker!!

My kids really listen to me

2008-09-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

I have to be careful what I say because evidently Tucker is listening and can hear everything i say...something i am not used to with Fisher.
Last week Steve picked some of the corn he grew and cooked corn on the cob. We picked it too early and during dinner commented that "the corn sucks this year". I didn't think anything of it at the time.
Today I made corn on the cob this time from our friends garden. His corn turned out and was great, however, Tucker saw the corn and said "mommy, this corn sucks!"
Oops!

Teaching ASL

2008-09-04T14:22:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since i posted last, and that is because I have been so busy with my new job! I am now about 2 weeks into the school year. I teach 3 periods of ASL a day to high school students at Morgan High School. My students are doing well (i have 60 this trimester) and learning fast. They still struggle from time to time with the no voice policy, but hey they are high schoolers!
I love the teaching part of my job, but am getting used to the grading, prep time and classroom management which really isn't that bad.
I love the fact that I am part time so I can be home for my kids. I am there to greet Fisher as he gets off the bus and still get lots of bonding/teaching time with Tucker.
My hat goes off to all you working moms! It is exhausting many days working part time i don't know how you do it full time.
All in All i love my job and still get to be a stay at home mom (most of the day)!

Our trip to Hill Cumorah/Kirtland/Philly

2008-08-04T11:04:00.000-06:00

Our trip was started out in Philadelphia where the Constitution of America was written. Without the wonderful founding fathers of our great nation and their faith in God, our country and therefore church, would not exist today. this First slide show highlights some of our stops along the way. I am still working on part two. We saw many of the historic sites of our country, then headed over to Palmyra New York and Harmony PA to see the restoration sites of the Priesthood and church.When I post part two of the slide show i will add to the post and tell more about our trip. I gained a better appreciation and love for both our founding fathers and Joseph Smith, and everyone who helped him to restore the church and gospel to the earth once again.

Hill Cumorah Pagent Tour/Kirtland part 1

2008-08-04T11:00:00.001-06:00

night out with the Vassilaros

2008-07-28T14:48:00.000-06:00

While we were back east we were able to go through a town where one of Steve's mission buddies is from. He picked us up from Valley Forge and took us to his parents house to meet his cute family..kids, wife and parents. We all went out to dinner in Allentown PA and had a blast!It was great for me to meet Dave and his wife Bonnie and meet a few people who either served in or are from Sweden. Thanks Vassilaros!

A fun weekend!

2008-07-12T22:27:00.000-06:00

This weekend has been fun! It was such a beautiful day and evening on Friday we decided to pitch our tent in the back yard and sleep out. The boys loved it! Barry, Katie and Jackson joined us. The boys thought we were all so cool in the tents and sleeping bags. We had a fun camp out at home. The next morning Steve woke up and made us pancakes. Poor Katie had to work and couldn't join us for that. We missed you.
Saturday afternoon, we went to Classic Water slides with our friends the Fosters. Our kids (and husbands too) had so much fun on the slides. Meadow rode to Walmart with us and then home. She was so cute she wanted to hang out with us. She even fell asleep in the car with our boys.
After the fun in the sun we had a BBQ in the backyard. Steve was the cook. The men had fish and Josie and I had chicken. We just can't stomach the fish. We even lucked out with terrific watermelon and cantaloupe.
It was so fun eating, playing and hanging out together. I only got pictures of the BBQ not Classic water slide.

Steve's date with Hannah

2008-07-02T18:54:00.001-06:00

Steve's daddy-daughter date with Hannah

2008-07-02T18:50:00.001-06:00

Hannah, Steve's little sister, had a daddy daughter date for primary. Ken was out of town so she asked Steve to be her date. I thought that was cute and wanted to share the pictures. This took place June 7, 2008

Raptors game

2008-07-02T16:02:00.001-06:00

The company riverside electric gets its insurance from had customer appreciation night at the Raptors game. It was fun. We got to eat dinner then enjoy the game with some family and friends!

Not tech smart!

2008-07-01T10:26:00.000-06:00

I tried and tried to make a slide show and then post it and still can't figure it out despite the fact that some of you have told me how! Thank you to all of you who have offered to come over and help me..I think i will finally take you up on that! I thought i was pretty well up to speed on the Internet..i guess not :)

Cooling off!

2008-06-30T16:43:00.000-06:00

The boys came up with a creative way to cool off! They filled up the bucket and took turns dipping their heads in it and putting their feet in it. It was so funny i had to document it. I guess i need a kiddie pool.

My boys love their chips!

2008-06-30T16:34:00.000-06:00

We had lunch on the deck and as you can see they love their chips! They wouldn't share one bag, so they each had their own.

Fisher's last day of school 2007-08

2008-06-30T15:23:00.000-06:00

USDB has a family day party, and luncheon. Here is Fisher with some of his classmates and siblings as well as Whitney (teachers' aid) and teacher Melissa. They are awesome and we love them!

Remembering Jennifer

2008-06-30T15:12:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken on Memorial day, but i haven't uploaded it until now. I thought this was a cute pic of the George boys.

Thank you friends

2008-06-25T10:04:00.000-06:00

After my last post, so many of my great friends gave me a call; thank you! The day before I posted that i had a really emotional, lonely day and I guess it came out in my blog. Steve was home from church with a sore back and i was alone with two little boys. I guess i just felt a little alone at church without him. I am great now and have awesome friends! Steve's back is feeling a little better. I guess he is starting to feel his age..30!
To all my friends..don't worry and thank you for your calls!

I Need my girls!

2008-06-23T09:09:00.000-06:00

Have you ever gone through a time period where you just need to be around your gal pals? I think i am experiencing that. Don't get me wrong...i love Morgan and my husband...i just need some extra girl time. I am in a family of all boys right now and I need the femine touch. If you are one of my girl friends and you read this...please give me a call....I need you right now.
thanks! Holly

Cool ASL stuff!

2008-06-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

My sister Heather, found this cool ASL picture for me, so i am sharing it with all of you.

Thank you Heather.

All the letters are made out of match sticks. I hope you find a way to enlarge it and see it better. I thought it was cool. Oh..you can! Just put the cursor on the pic and click on it..it will enlarge.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-09T21:49:00.000-06:00

Steve and I celebrated six years of marriage on Saturday, the 7th of June. Time flies so fast!!! We looked back and have accomplished a lot in 6 short years. We went to eat at Kobe then went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Our big celebration will be in July when we go on the second half of the church history tour; this time we will go to palmyra and Kirtland.
I am lucky to have such a good husband who adores me and our kids!! He works so hard for us and is fun to be with. I love you Steve!!!

Fisher's stitches

2008-06-05T10:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, June 4, Fisher fell and had to get stitches. He was climbing up his dresser to reach his underwear and it tipped over and pinned him. It scared me so bad! I quickly found someone to watch Tucker, then took Fish to the insta care in South Ogden. Fisher needed 2 stitches next to his right eye. I didn't get any before pictures because i was too frantic at the moment, but do have some after. He is doing pretty well now. Since I didn't have Steve with me the doctor suggested we put him in the papoose board so he couldn't move; he didn't like that at all! As soon as he was free, he signed and voiced no to the doctor! Our little trooper now has his first set of stitches. Way to go Fish for being so brave!

Memorial Day weekend

2008-05-27T12:42:00.000-06:00

This year for Memorial Day we wanted to go camping, but couldn't find a spot that wasn't reserved or covered with snow, so we did it in Grandpa and Grandma George's (Ken and Shannon) backyard. The week or two before Steve and Ken dug and made a fire pit so we could have a weenie roast and make smores. It was so fun; we set up camp in the back yard and braved the rain Sunday night. Monday morning we woke up and had breakfast before we broke down camp. This was a great way for our boys to camp because it wasn't too far from home and if they needed something we were just minutes away.

Spring is here

2008-05-27T12:36:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago when the weather got hot we did some yard work and got the jumperoo out for the boys. As you can see they are all boys and got really dirty.

Tucker (far right) really got into weeding. All the dirt aparently made it onto his face.

It was fun; all the neighbor kids came over and jumped.

Fisher loves his bike

2008-05-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday Fisher did something that I must document. I know this will embarrass him when he is older, but it was cute. He and Tucker were incredibly dirty from having a weenie roast so we went in to shower and bathe. Tucker wanted a bath, and Fisher wanted to shower with Dad. I was in charge of Tucker and Steve had Fisher. Steve got Fisher naked and all ready for the shower and tucker had fallen asleep so i hurried and checked my e-mail. A few minutes later i heard Dave, my brother-in-law in my house yelling for Steve or me. He had Fisher with him. Apparently Fisher had escaped from the house...naked...and was riding his trike up and down the sidewalk! Dave found him and brought him back home. I don't know how he got by me without seeing him!

hanson family trip to Disneyland

2008-05-23T17:31:00.001-06:00

Gum will ease the pain on the plane...

2008-05-20T14:54:00.000-06:00

While on the plane Fisher told me his ear hurt from taking off. I showed him some gum and told him it would make his ears feel better. He looked at me kinda wierd, took the gum, stuck it in his ear and looked at me like I was crazy! I just laughed and had to explain myself better. Duh mom you said gum would help your ear feel better!

More disneyland photos

2008-05-20T14:44:00.001-06:00

1st time on a plane, on the beach and at Disneyland for the boys.

California Adventures with my boys.

Fisher and Garrett at Splash Mountain.

These are some more of our Disneyland pictures.

The beach day was fun, but cold! It was also our boys first time on an airplane. They loved it.

Riding the Disneyland train.

Disneyland with the Hanson family

2008-05-19T14:41:00.000-06:00

Mom and Dad Hanson took all their kids and grandkids to Disneyland May 7-10 and it was a blast! This was the first time we have all been together in about 3 years! Thank you mom and dad...grandma and grandpa we loved it!!!!

This is one of the two 12 passenger vans. Steve (yeah small town guy) got to drive in the fun Cali traffic! Tucker met chip..or dale! Fisher met him too!

Tucker catching some zzzs while Mom and Dad are in line for Tower of Terror.

My cute family at Disneyland!
I will try and add these pictures to a slide show and better arrange them. I just gotta figure that out first.

Holly's new job!

2008-05-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

I just got hired (May 2nd) at the DATC as a part time ASL instructor at Morgan High school. I will work 20 hours a week while Fisher is in school; just gotta find someone to watch Tucker. I am way excited about this. Two Deaf instructors are going to train and they will provide all the curriculum too. I officially start in July. They are paying me pretty well too thanks to my college degree...knew that would pay off someday!

IPod sad story

2008-05-05T13:24:00.000-06:00

My 1 year old ipod just broke and i am so sad. I called tech support and they determined it was the battery. I am pretty sure it was because i used a cheap speaker dock (not made by apple); so be ware! I am especially sad because we are going to Disneyland in 2 days and now i can't bring it on the plane. boo hoo! It will cost $159 to repair it or i can spend another $100 dollars (on top of that) and get a new one. I think i will wait until my new job gives me a pay check then get it repaired.

Emma Smith...wow!

2008-05-05T13:18:00.000-06:00

Recently, Steve and I saw the movie "Emma Smith, my story" it was well worth it. I always knew she was a neat woman, but this movie gave me a deeper knowledge, and appreciation for her. Many people give her a hard time for staying in Nauvoo after Joseph died and remarrying, but i don't blame her. She is an amazing woman and want to be like her. Thank you Emma Smith!

not a super scout!

2008-04-10T11:27:00.000-06:00

okay so this may sound bad, but oh well. For the first time in a long time i am not enjoying my calling. i have always been taught that you don't turn down a calling...so i didn't. i am the bears leader in cub scouts. my assistant leader is great and so are most of the other people i work with...i am not a super scout though. i don' t enjoy dressing up in the full gear (neither will you find me doing that) and scouting is not my life. i go to training meetings and pack meetings and a lot of the other leaders are way into it...i am not. Sorry if this sounds rude, but i can't get into it. I still like my little scouts, but am not the "super scout". Last night was pack meeting and a training meeting. I went, but did not get super excited about it. think i have better, more productive things to do with my time.

Cute cowboy Tucker

2008-04-06T22:22:00.000-06:00

Sorry Tuck; I know this will embarrass you when you are older, but i couldn't resist! He took of his pajama pants and put on his cowboy boots so i had to snap away!!

George men snowmobililng in oakley utah

2008-04-06T22:17:00.000-06:00

Glen Roberts (Tashina's husband), Steve, Ken and Dave finally got a chance to play together after six years of separation. This is up in Pine Mountains in Oakley Utah. They are having a little lunch break from all the riding.

The George kids on the snowmobile

2008-04-06T22:14:00.000-06:00

Fisher (ours), Faith (Dave and Cami's), Tucker (ours) and Riley (Dave and Cami's) would not get off the snowmobile. They were so excited to go for a ride on them the next weekend at the cabin.

Easter Sunday 2008

2008-04-06T22:13:00.000-06:00

It was so cold out, but we needed a family picture in our Easter duds!

Fisher and Tucker in Easter outfits

2008-04-06T21:54:00.000-06:00

They looked so cute; five minutes later their hair was messed up.

Fisher getting potty trained!!!

2008-03-26T15:11:00.000-06:00

We are so excited that Fisher is well on his way to getting potty trained! We told his teacher that Grandma and Grandpa are taking us to Disneyland in May and want to get him potty trained. She started working with him at school and wa la! He listens to her better about that than me because he has been accident free for about 4 days now! He only wears a pull up at night. We are so excited and proud of him!!

George family: 2-17-08

2008-03-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

We are a happy family!

cheesing it for the camera

2008-03-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

aren't they cute?! Once again in the snow fort at the cabin.

cousins playing in the snow at cabin presidents day weekend

2008-03-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

The kids made a snow fort over presidents day weekend. It was so cute. They begged the parents to sleep in it, but we wouldn't allow that...just playing.

ABCs of Me

2008-03-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

I just got tagged by Megan so here goes: A-attached or single: Attached. B- best freinds: Steve, Tama, Storm and sisters .C-Cake or Pie: both. German chocolate or pretty much any pie my mother-in-law makes- except mince meat. D-Day of Choice: Saturday- no work no school. E-essentials: Do I have any essentials?! I guess it would be regular me/girl time. F-Favorite color: hunter green or red. G-Gummi bears or worms: no preference. H-hometown: SLC, Utah Cottonwood Heights. I-Indulgence: chocolate in any form. J-January or July: definately July I can only tolerate the cold for so long. K-kids: 2 . Fisher 4 and Tucker 2. L-Life is incomplete without: good relationships with freinds, family and god. M-Marriage date: June 7, 2002. N-Number of siblilngs: 2 sisters and 3 brothers. O-Oranges or apples: oranges. P-Phobias or fears: heights. Q-Quotes: never been a really big quote person. R-Reason to smile: because i'm alive! S-season: summer...vacation time and no school. T-tag: Heather, Amber H. and Storm.U-unknown fact about me: i have come out of my shell A Lot since leaving high school. V-vegitarian or oppressor of animals: meat lover! W-worst habit: sleeping in and staying up too late. X-x-rays or ultrasounds: really? no preference. Y- Your Favorite Food: italtian food. Z-zodiac: Sagitarius.

no blog for awhile...sorry

2008-03-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to blog for awhile because our desktop has a virus. that is the computer with all my pictures on it too! I have to wait for Steve's laptop when it is not being used for work stuff to blog. I will try to get some pictures onto the laptop and then onto our blog soon. Last week (Feb 25-28) I experienced a first....jury duty. It was a civil trial that involved a semi driver and his wife who hit a bull on i-84. they along with their tractor trailer sustained many injuries. They were suing the owner of the bull- a local Morgan ranching family. I learned a lot about our judicial system....stuff i either forgot or didn't learn in school. FYI we (the jury) found the defendants not liable...UDOT owns the side of the fence the bull escaped.
Hopefully we will get our desktop fixed soon and I can get back to normal. You don't appreciate a computer and internet until you are without one.

Snowed-in in Morgan

2008-02-03T15:51:00.001-07:00

This is one pile of snow after plowing it off the driveway. I am standing on the driveway. The snowpile is about 3 feet high and growing daily.