Hanks Reunion 2013 Part 1

About a year ago my mom asked if my sister Stephanie and I would plan a family reunion for my immediate family in the summer of 2013. After many months of planning, many phone calls, and a few extra pounds from the stress the reunion actually happened!

We rented a FANTASTIC place called The Harston Heartland Lodge. If you've never been there you are missing out!! There was plenty of room for our huge family and so many things to do that the kids stayed busy! It had been a long time since we had seen this much family and so this was a real treat to see those who could come! Hopefully at the next reunion everyone will be able to make it!

This is just a smattering of pictures from a few of the weeks highlights.

Each family had a different bandanna color and the kids were gracious enough to model them for us!

Our first night there happened to be my niece Rachel's birthday and so we had a party. The kids decorated hats, made balloon animals and had a great time.

 My sister Stephanie holding my cute little Lilly. Lilly was such a happy girl with her auntie Steph!

My mom and Lilly having a bonding moment!

We had a White Elephant gift exchange that was a bit of a riot! My grandparents and my aunt Michelle came for a day and got to join in on the fun and an early birthday party for my grandpa's 90th birthday.

My brother-in-law, Darren was nice enough to entertain Lilly while Scott was in charge of the White Elephant and I tried to relax a bit(in the background looking out the window).

Lilly spent most of the reunion being held by loving cousins and aunts and uncles who couldn't get enough of her! When she wasn't being held she loved playing with her toys and practicing her new skill of rolling over. Even while playing on the floor her cousins couldn't leave her alone! 

We roasted marshmallows in the firepit one night and had a blast.  

Abby enjoying her roasted marshmallow. 

Scott hanging out with my dad, watching the kids playing on the grass. 

Lilly playing on her mat on the grass after our family pictures. 

Abby sharing her candy with her cousin Emmeline. Would you guess that these two are almost the same age?

Hello again

Its been far to long since I have devoted any time to this blog. The last few months of my pregnancy with Lilly were excruciating to say the least and I've been crazy busy with a new baby and a toddler since then.

Lillian Kate Twichel was born February 1st 2013. She was a healthy seven pounds eleven ounces and cute as can be. The c-section went pretty smoothly compared to last time

Then 

and 

now

She's a healthy and very happy little 6 month old baby now and we love having her in our family!

If you are wondering why a post now after its been so long I can only point to Scott. Having a blog was his idea from the very beginning (I'm not much of a writer). And yet he never wrote on the blog. He has finally decided to write and started another blog which has motivated me, at least a little bit. So, keep checking here but also keep your eyes on:

http://twicheladventurebook.blogspot.com/

Birthdays!

Birthdays change as you get older. This particular year  I knew that it would be especially different as Scott would be practically living at work all the week while they changed over the computer systems.

The Saturday before my birthday the wives of all the Bishopric members and clerks were "kidnapped" for a girls night out on the town without our kids or husbands. I got a creepy phone call like the ones from the movies where the computer voice gives you instructions on what to do. Later there was a knock at the door and a guy who looked vaguely familiar was standing there. He handed me an envelope, a piece of fabric and a piece of paper and told me that he had come by to see Scott and found these on my doorstep. Turns out he was there to watch Abby. I couldn't remember his name and was a little apprehensive about leaving my most precious possession  with a stranger. I finally asked his name and then he felt really bad about  not introducing himself. Anyways, it was a guy from the ward that I didn't recognize with casual clothes and a baseball hat on. He stayed with Abby while I tied on the blindfold and stood on the curb waiting for "my ride". While standing there I kept wondering what would happen if a police car drove by, "what would they think?" Anyways, they came and picked me up and after putting together all the puzzle pieces from out envelopes we figured out where we were headed for dinner. We got our next clue at dinner. We had to put together our clue that was written in braille. It told us to go to the Covey Center to see Wait Until Dark (it's about a blind woman, hence the braille). We had a wonderful time. It was so nice to have a break and some girl time!

When I got home I discovered that Scott had come home and decorated with balloons and streamers for my birthday! We celebrated my birthday and had Key Lime Pie, which I love!

Sunday we were able to go the the Dedication broadcast for the Brigham City Temple.It was a wonderful experience, there is something about the peace of the temple that you can feel even watching the dedication over satellite. Sunday night we went to my in-laws to have dinner and celebrate some more!! We always enjoy the time we get to spend with family. I got more balloons which made Abby super happy

On Tuesday my parents came down and took Abby and I to dinner at Texas Road House for my birthday. We had a wonderful time and Abby thoroughly enjoyed learning how to ride the escalators at the mall close by with her grandparents!

Wednesday was my actual birthday and Abby was sweet enough to sleep really well the night before and the night after my birthday. Not only that but she was an angel all day!

So, despite having a husband who has been sleeping, eating and showering at work all week during my birthday week we had a good week and felt very loved! Our house  is filled with balloons and flowers  and Abby and I have been loving it! We are really excited to get our husband and daddy back today(hopefully) and have things return to normal!

Dick's Sporting Goods

Big fail for Dick's Sporting Goods this morning. they definitely didn't earn my business in the future.

 They had their grand opening celebration in Orem this morning. They advertised  that the first 100 people in the store at 8 am would get a gift card in varying denominations from $5 to $500. I didn't want to get up early to get there and get in line so I figured that if I woke up on time  I would head down and see how long the line was. When Abby and I arrived at 7:45 there were only about 35-40 people in line so we jumped in the back of the line. By 8 there were more people and we headed for the door. They checked ID to make sure everyone was over 18 and we got our gift cards. Everyone stood around inside the front door on their cell phones calling in to see how much their gift cards ended up being. Well........everyone got $5 gift cards. Abby pushed the stroller around the store for almost an hour, entering giveaways and comparing the store to other sports stores in the area.

We ended up getting something small for Scott's stocking for Christmas with our gift card. When we were checking out I asked the cashier about the gift cards and she admitted that she had seen one or two $10 cards but the rest had all been $5.

So, Dicks's almost exclusively gave out $5 gift cards, a couple of $10 cards and (supposedly) one $500 gift card. So much for the varying denominations! I understand that it's a marketing tactic to get people in the store but come on, they could have done better than that! I wasted my time, felt slightly deceived and combined with the fact that their store didn't seem any different from other similar stores in the area leads me to the conclusion that I won't be frequenting their store in the future.

BABY GIRL!

We are expecting a new addition to our family when our baby girl arrives February 6th!

Rice Krispies

On Sunday I was making rice krispy treats and Abby wanted to help. She got my extra apron out of the drawer and tried to put it on all by herself. She needed a little help but it looks super cute on her with a few adjustments! I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Licking the empty bowl of melted chocolate chips that we stirred into the rice krispies.

Showing off "her" apron

Helping mom stir a batch of pudding. (And yes, I am pregnant in this picture :)

Getting dressed....

Abby has been a bit of a challenge the last few days and been SUPER clingy, whiny, etc...so when she disappeared into her room and I heard her opening her drawers I let her play in peace, I was just happy to have two seconds all to myself. Who knows, I might even be able to eat something without having to share it! When I went to check on her this is what I discovered! Someone was trying to get dressed all by themselves.

Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?