Ummmm… Yah…
It’s probably not even appropriate to post but I didn’t even see it when I took the shot. She was so busy doing things with her hands, snapping and dancing around that this was a split second of the series. As I edited, I have to say it made me laugh out loud. The innocence is still there – in a few years, it won’t be cute or funny at all. Now, however, I do think it’s pretty funny.
Posted in Fashionista, Mother of the Year Moments, Shea | Tagged learning to snap | 1 Comment »
Getting Ready
Kate looked absolutely beautiful for her First Communion. She wore a dress that Grandma Kasey had bought her for her birthday last year from a bridal store, she had great shoes handed down from Katerina and her veil was handmade by Nannies friend SusieDavis (yes, Nannie says it as one word). It was all perfect and she loved being dressed up so fancy.
She sat patiently in Church, she answered the questions of Father Don, and sang her song “Yes, My Lord…”. I looked over at her on the end of the pew and was just so proud of her. Talk about being in love with your kid – I think she’s awesome. 
Anyway, Kate came back from Communion and said “I don’t like the bread”. I remember thinking EXACTLY the same thing! I couldn’t understand why it didn’t taste any better. I smiled and shared with her that I didn’t like it at first either.
Looking Beautiful
Posted in Betsy, Family, Kate, Mother of the Year Moments | Tagged First Communion, Hanging with Nannie, Homemade Veil | 1 Comment »
Coolest Uncle JM
Posted in Family, Kate, Mother of the Year Moments | Tagged Betsy Hansen, I have a cool Uncle, Mother of the Year | Leave a Comment »
“I PULLED IT!”
I have really noticed how much the kids faces grow as they grow. The changes are so subtle day to day but are so prominent when you look at their teeth. All three kiddos got teeth late – it was great for the airlines since they have bicoastal grandparents we flew a lot. It was much easier to pull off under two when they only had four teeth at a year. Course that wouldn’t work today, but it did then! As I have watched Kate growing – the teeth are what make her growth the most obvious to me. They now look like tiny little chicklets on her ever-growing gums. The spaces are becoming further and further apart as the new teeth work their way down. It’s been a waiting game to see when she would lose her fourth tooth, afterall, she is eight.
Kate came in my room first thing in the morning – she was excited about the upcoming weekend. (Birthday Party and First Communion) As I looked at her I had to smile because her top front tooth wanted to come out so badly it was practically sideways. It was hanging on by who knows what. We chatted for a minute about the upcoming day and then I said “I can NOT believe that little tooth is still hanging on.” She smiled, and I looked at what I knew was nearing the end of her little girl smile and she said “yup.”
Ten minutes later she came up stairs with a bloody towel and a very proud smile. She had pulled her tooth and was giggling telling me it hurt and felt weird. It brought back those feelings of running your teeth through that gaping hole, the smooth gum and the ridges of the big tooth on it’s way in.
My New Smile!
Posted in Betsy, Kate, Kiddos, Mother of the Year Moments | Tagged Betsy Hansen, Betsy Hansen Mother of the Year, Mother of the Year, mother of the year again, MOTY, pulling front teeth, Pulling Teeth | Leave a Comment »
Auntie Kate has a special way about her. She has a gift of empathy, sympathy, imagination and storytelling. Here she is with three of the kiddos at the cemetery the other day. Now granted it looks barren without any stones near my Dad but as he would have said its “his real estate with a view”. He was quite proud of the way he positioned this bill of sale the day he drew up the papers. That empathetic view and creative way to talk about an uncomfortable thing… Much like Kate has and you can see it in this photo.
By the end of their travels through the cemetery they had said prayers and visited children born over a hundred years ago, older folks, tragic high school deaths and more.
I so wish with Kate’s gift we could write a book… Who knows who the audience would be but… I know if you eve read it you would just want more.
Even my kids wanted more after spending that time with her and so many others she “got to know”.
Posted in Betsy, Family, Kiddos, Mother of the Year Moments | Tagged cemetery, gravesite, kids and dying | 1 Comment »
is just one more thing my Dad and I had in common. Or would we be Tauri? No idea what the plural form is and feeling too lazy to look it up…but either way we were both bulls.
Yesterday was my Dad’s birthday, he would have been 72. When I was growing up 72 sounded so old, and now it’s not even retirement age for folks. I sometimes think people are just getting younger or feeling younger because families are growing much later in life. Either way, 72 is too young to die.
A dear friend gave me this bracelet and gave my sister one too. Her mother taught her growing up that when someone passes away you celebrate their birthday not their death day. I think that’s a pretty cool way to look at it and have worn the bracelet every day this month.
I have recently decided there aren’t words that can describe the loss. Thankfully there are tons of words to describe the life. I am the blessed one but I still miss my Dad.
Yesterday there was a Mass for my Dad at church. The kids, my mom, my sister and daughter, and I went to Mass and then enjoyed breakfast together. Following breakfast, ndependently, we each drove to the cemetery and found one another had done the same. Shea was with me and she decided to put her stuffed monkey on my Dad’s site – it doesn’t have a stone yet. The others left gumdrops. My mom didn’t get out of the car but I know she liked it (and thought it was tacky at the same time). We all know it came from a good place and a bunch of very big hearts.
Posted in Betsy, Family, Mother of the Year Moments | Leave a Comment »
MuffinTop
April 17, 2013 by Betsy Hansen
Every night when I say good night to Shea I say “Good Night Muffin” and it has recently evolved into “Good Night Muffinhead”. She always responded back by saying goodnight but this particular night she said “Good Night MuffTop”.
It’s stuck and she says it all the time now. I feel like I can’t share with her what that term actually means to me. Harumph.
Sharing is Fun...
Like this:
Posted in Betsy, Mother of the Year Moments, Shea | Tagged innocent kid comments, Mom has a muffintop, muffintop | Leave a Comment »