I don't know if you've seen Elf Yourself before, but it's an OfficeMax promotional tool where you can put pictures of yourself in an elf's body. Well, they've now made the picture into a video. Check out this video of my mom, dad, sister, and brothers. I nearly peed my pants, it's so funny:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
I'm Thankful for the Internet
Friends, if you're having a hard time finding something to be thankful for, be thankful for the internet. I have now been without the internet for two weeks, and it has been a sore trial. I am so excited to be "online" again, wow. You have no idea.
Anyway, how are we? We are good. Adjusting. We were in temporary housing for five days, and we officially moved into our house on November 6th, ten days earlier than planned. I'll spare you all of the rigmarole we've gone through with moving. But we were very grateful to get into the house early. The house is good; not perfect, but it suits our needs. We are happy to be close to Joe's work, and to have all of the perks of military life at an arm's length.
We are mostly unpacked, the neighbors are nice, and there is definitely a safe feeling here that I haven't felt since my childhood. Kids are always running around outside. I like that. Once we're more adapted, I'm sure Dottie will be out there with the rest of the gang.
The kids are okay. Both of them are ecstatic to be with Joe again, especially Dottie. Her qualms seem mostly soothed since being with her Daddy again. Elliot . . . has struggled with the new place. He just started taking naps again yesterday, but has entered a new phase of naughtiness with the diaper. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but he became a diaper digger during naptime this summer. We had to put him in button-up PJs to avoid a poo mess. Well, he now knows how to get into the button-ups. So, I took some advice from a cousin and duct-taped the top of the pajamas. Guess what? He can get the duct-tape off too. PLEASE if you have any suggestions, I sure could use some help.
So that's where we're at right now: settling in, trying to make some friends (oh, we have Filipino neighbors. Joe's pretty psyched about that), avoiding distaster with Elliot. We miss our family and friends in PA! Texas seems very nice so far. San Antonio is a shockingly large city. I'm a little scared of the freeway system. It's kinda crazy. But . . . I'll adapt. We're loving the 70-80 degree weather every day. We make frequent trips to the playground.
Oh, and my favorite part about living on base? The commissary! Wow~ what good deals! The bargain hunter inside of me is very pleased. Come and visit me, and I'll take you to this spectacularly cheap grocery store. And to the Alamo too, if the grocery store doesn't excite you enough.
Anyway, how are we? We are good. Adjusting. We were in temporary housing for five days, and we officially moved into our house on November 6th, ten days earlier than planned. I'll spare you all of the rigmarole we've gone through with moving. But we were very grateful to get into the house early. The house is good; not perfect, but it suits our needs. We are happy to be close to Joe's work, and to have all of the perks of military life at an arm's length.
We are mostly unpacked, the neighbors are nice, and there is definitely a safe feeling here that I haven't felt since my childhood. Kids are always running around outside. I like that. Once we're more adapted, I'm sure Dottie will be out there with the rest of the gang.
The kids are okay. Both of them are ecstatic to be with Joe again, especially Dottie. Her qualms seem mostly soothed since being with her Daddy again. Elliot . . . has struggled with the new place. He just started taking naps again yesterday, but has entered a new phase of naughtiness with the diaper. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but he became a diaper digger during naptime this summer. We had to put him in button-up PJs to avoid a poo mess. Well, he now knows how to get into the button-ups. So, I took some advice from a cousin and duct-taped the top of the pajamas. Guess what? He can get the duct-tape off too. PLEASE if you have any suggestions, I sure could use some help.
So that's where we're at right now: settling in, trying to make some friends (oh, we have Filipino neighbors. Joe's pretty psyched about that), avoiding distaster with Elliot. We miss our family and friends in PA! Texas seems very nice so far. San Antonio is a shockingly large city. I'm a little scared of the freeway system. It's kinda crazy. But . . . I'll adapt. We're loving the 70-80 degree weather every day. We make frequent trips to the playground.
Oh, and my favorite part about living on base? The commissary! Wow~ what good deals! The bargain hunter inside of me is very pleased. Come and visit me, and I'll take you to this spectacularly cheap grocery store. And to the Alamo too, if the grocery store doesn't excite you enough.
San Antonio: The Alamo and Riverwalk
I wish I could say we've done more, but we haven't. We're going to SeaWorld tomorrow, so we'll have pictures of that soon, okay?
These are pictures of the infamous Riverwalk. There are very fancy restaurants right along the river, and lovely flowers, fountains, etc. You can also get a tour in a gondola-like boat. We didn't spring for that. Maybe another day.
And this is us at the Alamo. The kids were having a rough time. We only lasted for about two hours total at the Alamo and Riverwalk combined. We'll revisit once we're all better adjusted to life.
Dottie's depressed.
A Very Belated Happy Halloween to You
Happy Halloween! Two weeks late!
Trick-or-Treating Night
Dottie's class Halloween Party
Halloween Party at church. We sprayed Dottie's hair red for the occasion. It surprisingly didn't ruin her hair.
This is with our beloved Courtney. Are you there, Courtney? We miss you!
Halloween Party at church. We sprayed Dottie's hair red for the occasion. It surprisingly didn't ruin her hair.
This is with our beloved Courtney. Are you there, Courtney? We miss you!
Check out Dottie's face.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Spousal Reunion
This past weekend, I flew to Montgomery, Alabama for Joe's officer training graduation. We had four days without kids. My parents were kind enough to watch them. It was a much needed break before we move. Thanks Ma and Pa!
I had so much fun with my husband. We toured around Montgomery on Saturday and Sunday (which suprisingly doesn't have a lot of touristy things to do. Hopefully I don't offend anyone, but the city's tourist department should work on that). I've never been to the South before, so it was still a great time. I was mostly excited to see my husband again.
Montgomery
I had so much fun with my husband. We toured around Montgomery on Saturday and Sunday (which suprisingly doesn't have a lot of touristy things to do. Hopefully I don't offend anyone, but the city's tourist department should work on that). I've never been to the South before, so it was still a great time. I was mostly excited to see my husband again.
Montgomery
This is a home of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby. Notice I say "a" home, not "the" home. They were expatriots, and only lived in this house for about a year. Oh, the other thing I forgot to mention: all tourist attractions were closed on Saturday and Sunday (I know), so we just took pictures of the places we visited.
This is the first White House of the Confederacy. Apparently, they moved headquarters frequently. Jefferson Davis lived here for about a year. Kinda small compared to the D.C. white house, don't you think?
A real life plantation! Even though I didn't go inside, I was still excited.
This is the first White House of the Confederacy. Apparently, they moved headquarters frequently. Jefferson Davis lived here for about a year. Kinda small compared to the D.C. white house, don't you think?
A real life plantation! Even though I didn't go inside, I was still excited.
By the plantation was a field of cotton! I've never seen cotton before, so this was also pretty thrilling for me.
Cotton literally looks and feels just like a cotton ball that you use. The only difference is there are little seeds inside the cotton that need to be removed.
Which brings me to the last tour picture: a cotton gin factory. I also didn't get to go inside, but you can imagine what it was like in the small industrial town of Prattville.Dining Out
Monday, we had a spouse's orientation to the Air Force, and that evening there was a fancy dinner called "Dining Out." I got to wear a spectacular dress (thanks to Gloria Buynak), we ate, others drank, and we mingled with the other graduates and their families. It was really a fun evening.
Together again!
Joe's commander, the other band conductor for the Band of the West in San Antonio, came to commission him. She is such a wonderful person; I was relieved to find that Joe will be working with someone who is kind. I really enjoyed getting to know her this weekend.Graduation
Standing at the ready: the poor guys had to stand like this for over an hour while everyone graduated.
Getting sworn into the Air Force. The zoom on my new camera is really awful. That's what I get for buying cheaply and off of the internet. Sorry it's so blurry.
I got to pin Joe's rank on his shoulders. I was worried about stabbing him or dropping the pins, but I didn't.
Congratulations, second lieutenant Hansen! I'm so proud of you! I'll see you in a few days!Dancing . . . together
I promise I know another song besides "Once Upon a Dream." It's my kids' special dancing song. What can I say? They like the waltz beat. I like this video because they're hugging and being somewhat loving to each other.
The Fork Master
I think I've mentioned how Elliot is quite dexterous. Most of his goals in life involve climbing, jumping, pinching, etc. Well, here he is, the fork master.
Sorry about the Sweeney Todd. My mom teaches voice, and that's just a student in the background.
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