blessed5times

Just a favorite picture...

2011-06-28T01:59:00.001-05:00

This post is merely just to share a favorite picture of mine. Not sure why I love it - I think because it is so truly me and the kids. It was taken by Aunt Theresa at the horse show last weekend.

Mackenzie and Cali

2011-06-07T01:56:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics of Mackenzie and Cali on a nice summer day!

TJ's Birthday Photo Shoot

2011-05-19T01:53:00.000-05:00

Following tradition, we did TJ's annual photo shoot for the panoramic photo that hangs on the wall in his room. This one was one of my favorite shoots of all time - it was just so "him".

TJ's 3rd Birthday

2011-05-19T01:43:00.002-05:00

Wow. It is crazy to say that TJ is now 3 years old. It was just 3 months ago that he started talking. All that worrying for nothing. He spoke in full sentences literally a week after saying his first spontaneous word. He is so smart yet so stubborn. I know - we are in for it with this little man! :) We love him so much, and I can't imagine life without him. He loves planes, trains, automobiles - oh, and I can't forget tractors! With trailers!

We celebrated at play group with the kids. Then we had cake at night with the family.

More fun track photos

2011-05-18T01:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some more track photos from the latest meet. I love seeing the kids in their activities, and I really enjoy seeing them hang out with friends as well! They always seem to have so much fun!

Track season

2011-05-10T01:32:00.002-05:00

Another season of track is underway at Seymour Middle School...

Off to the Kentucky Derby

2011-05-08T01:27:00.006-05:00

This weekend Brian, Alex, Mackenzie and a good family friend, Tonya, were off to the Kentucky Derby! They even had the hats to go along with the trip! :) They had a blast...though they are thinking that the Derby is really for people who like to party - not necessarily for people who really are interested in horses. It gave them a nice diverse look at all kinds of people - oh and gave them many additional reasons as to why one should never drink alcohol! :)

I loved seeing all the fashionable photos of the many hats.

Easter cookies from Grandma and Grandpa!

2011-04-25T01:16:00.000-05:00

Today a package arrived in the mail...cookies from grandma and grandpa! I felt bad because Mackenzie was still at the barn, but I couldn't hold back the little ones from opening it! (oh - and I think Alex was excited to get first dibs on the cookies as well!)

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T00:56:00.003-05:00

Once again, the Easter Bunny left a magnificent trail of jelly beans throughout the Hasse household, leaving little gifts in the corners. After gathering up all the jelly beans and enjoying a few quick minutes with the gifts, it was off to church!

Easter "Saturday" at Aunt Theresa's and Uncle Bob's

2011-04-23T01:08:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated Easter at the Weber's. I always get the best pictures when Theresa is around! :)

Dying Easter Eggs!

2011-04-22T00:53:00.001-05:00

Easter wouldn't be Easter without dyed eggs!

Cupcake making - Natalie and Kennedy Style!

2011-04-14T00:45:00.003-05:00

The girls got a new "gadget" today. A cupcake maker. It was pretty cute watching them having so much fun making the cupcakes all on their own!

A little school spirit

2011-04-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

I just found a few random pictures that I had yet to download...and included in them were these two of the kids during "School Spirit Week". Love it!

Spring Break 7

2011-04-09T00:31:00.002-05:00

Well this post is just some extra photos from various camera's from the trip to Kentucky. We loved looking at the Derby hats at Keeneland Racetrack...Mackenzie even bought the hot pink one! It was such a great family trip! Low key - but lots of good memories were made!

Spring Break 6

2011-04-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

After our 2 nights in the cabin we headed to the Corvette Museum and then up to Louisville. Louisville was a great city to visit - super diverse and lots of entertaining places. There are a few extra's pictures in here from the Kentucky Horse Park as well...

Also a couple pictures of visiting the famous race track where the Kentucky Derby takes place - Brian and Mackenzie took a tour of places off limits for just those visiting. :)

Mackenzie wants to come back for the Derby...hmmm, we will see!

Spring Break 5

2011-04-05T00:16:00.007-05:00

Next we headed up into the mountains of the lest industrialized Kentucky (um, ever heard of Mountain Men?). We rented a little cabin and went on a gorgeous hike. It was great...we didn't have TV or cell phone service. I loved it!

Oh yeah! And it was St. Patricks day!

Spring Break 4

2011-04-04T00:06:00.008-05:00

We visited the Kentucky Horse Park and Mackenzie and I went on a tour of famous farms such as "WinStar". These prestigious farms are home to famous race horses that have won Kentucky Derby's. Do you have any idea how much these horses are worth? There are some that are bred two times a day for 100K a pop! WOW.

We also got up super early one morning and Brian and I took Mackenzie to the racetrack to see the horses warming up in the morning. It was exhilarating to watch these amazing creatures and their partner jockeys. I know that there is a lot of parts to the racing industry that Mackenzie doesn't care for, but she really enjoyed watching this.

Spring Break 2

2011-04-02T23:48:00.012-05:00

Next on our "let's get to Kentucky" adventure we went through Ohio. Just outside of Cinncinati there is Newport Aquarium. Though it was a little chilly of a day, it was still very enjoyable. And as always, Alex was able to find numerous places to turn into a Parkour park.

The little ones loved seeing life under the sea, and Mackenzie enjoyed taking 100's of pictures of her own.

After the aquarium, Alex and Brian wanted to try and do a food challenge contest. So we went to a little "mom and pop" pizza place where they served a HUGE pizza. The boys did a great job, but the pictures don't show the end result (Alex losing ALL his pizza in the parking lot shortly after the last photo was taken!). I don't know how long it will be until they can eat pizza again!

It was crazy in some places of this city...they have gotten so much spring rain that it was super flooded! There were people kayaking down the roads!

Spring Break 3

2011-04-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

We are finally in Kentucky! We stayed in Lexington, which is just a beautiful city! I could certainly live here! The hotel we stayed at had 2 bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. It was just perfect for all of us!

It is just amazing to drive down the road and see all these gorgeous horse farms. Pictures just don't do it justice.

Spring Break - Heading to Kentucky!

2011-04-01T23:36:00.001-05:00

In March we headed to Kentucky to visit the horse capital of the world! It was a part of the country that none of the Hasse Family had ever experienced...and it is an amazing place for so many reasons! The next few posts are going to be picture overload...but that's okay. Looking at pictures is much more entertaining than listening to all my commentary about the trip! :)

The picture of all the kids in the car was taken when we were in Appleton (about a half hour from our home) - this is where I said a little prayer, going something like this: Dear Lord - as we embark on this 10hr 22mn journey (16 hours with kids) please watch over us and bless us that we don't kill one another in the process of reaching our destination. And if we could get a bit of joy along the way that would be a bonus. Love - me

The first night we stayed in Indianapolis. It was great to visit the museums and see an IMAX movie.

Mackenzie is 13!

2011-03-30T22:55:00.001-05:00

***click on the panoramic photo to enlarge it! :)

I can't believe my first born little girl is 13 years old! She is just such an amazing person. I love watching her with her horses, and laughing with her friends. She is so beautiful, both on the inside and out. I know everyone says to watch out for the teenage years, but we have a dream child in our Kenz. She is diligent, hard working, and eager to please. We love you!

A couple pics from skiing

2011-03-07T16:11:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple pictures that Brian took of the kids on the mountain skiing. Dad took Logan, Alex, Mackenzie and Natalie skiing. Natalie took half day lessons just like she did last year. While they were skiing all day Sunday, I stayed back at the lodge with Kennedy and TJ playing at the waterpark. Fun times! :)

A weekend at The Grand Lodge

2011-03-05T10:38:00.001-06:00

What an amazing weekend! We went to Grand Lodge in Wausau for a great time of waterslides, movies with popcorn, ice cream, and skiing (for the older kids). What a great time!

Tack Trunk for our horse rider

2011-02-27T12:21:00.000-06:00

Mackenzie has wanted and needed a tack trunk for her horse shows for a while now...but they are upwards of $800, so we just haven't been able to budget for it. This year we decided that it would be a great project for her and dad to make one together. I don't know who is having more fun...dad or Mackenzie! :) I can't wait to show the final product! It is going to be awesome!

Court of Honor

2011-02-23T12:09:00.002-06:00

Today was a Court of Honor for the boy scouts. Alex advanced to First Class ranking. He has a goal to get his Eagle ranking by 15 1/2 years old. This is a great goal because we made it a requirement to have his Eagle before he can get his driver's license! :)

Snow Storm

2011-02-20T12:14:00.001-06:00

Honestly, I think it has been a pretty mild winter. Though we have had snow since December, it has been nice not having to many sub zero days of wind chill and frigid conditions. Last week we were unseasonably warm in the mid 40's. All the snow melted...well, not for long! This weekend we had a major blizzard which dropped 10+ inches. I actually love the fresh snow! I am looking forward to spring, but just enjoyiing the beauty of all the seasons for the time being! :)

Natalie in another performance!

2011-02-19T12:19:00.000-06:00

Natalie has started performing again with the Performing Company of Mirror Image dance. This time it was a performance at the Building for Kids in downtown Appleton. The girls all did a great job!

Sweeney Todd

2011-02-19T11:55:00.002-06:00

This was one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen! It was performed by the students of Seymour High School (okay, with a few recruitments from 8th grade...like Alex!). It truly was a beautiful performance that really articulated the talent of the students!

Making Valentine's cookies! Yummy!

2011-02-11T11:38:00.004-06:00

What's Valentine's Day without making some homemade heart shaped cookies! :)

What a surprise! :)

2011-02-09T11:46:00.000-06:00

This was so awesome! I have been under a lot of stress lately, and the kids have been so incredibly helpful! :) Especially Alex and Mackenzie. Brian has been out of town taking care of some things in Phoenix, so everything has been on my shoulders. Tonight I came home exhausted from dance, around 8:30pm. I had been gone since 6:30am, and was just "done". I opened the garage door and thought to myself "WHAT is on the door?"...I came up to this amazing surprise! Mackenzie and the girls from Young Women had spent the evening, giving me a "Heart Attack"...they just don't udnerstand how much this meant to me! It came at a time that it was just so needed! I love these girls!

TJ and the Superbowl!

2011-02-07T11:50:00.001-06:00

I loved watching the game with all my kiddos, but they are so sick of taking pictures with me...so I just got some fun ones with my little TJ! :)

Tour of Titletown on SuperBowl Sunday!

2011-02-06T22:49:00.007-06:00

Today we went on a tour of Green Bay...it was such a great time! We took pictures with signs that we saw along the way!

And what a GAME! :) WHOO HOO! World Champions! We are so proud of the PACK!

Horse Show weekend

2011-01-24T09:47:00.007-06:00

This weekend we had a wonderful time at the Horse show with Mackenzie and Natalie. Natalie was adorable and did very well for her first show! She is just starting out with showing Juliet and it doing such a great job.

I am just so proud of Mackenzie! I have really just acquired a newfound appreciation for her with the horses. Having horses is a pretty expensive hobby. But for Mackenzie it isn't just a hobby, she really wants to make this her life. She has a folder on her laptop with all the colleges that she has researched where she will be looking at Equestrian Sciene degrees. She does such a good job at taking care of Juliet and Cali. She works 2-3 days per week in order to take money off the board. We sure love her for that, and it really helps out! But more than that, she never complains about all the work she does. She mucks out stalls and feeds all the horses in the barn. I think there are 25 horses. She has to bring them all in from the pastures and get their grain and hay prepared before feeding them. Almost every Saturday morning, she arrives at the barn around 7:30am to begin cleaning out the stalls. I don't pick her up until about 6pm. She is such a hard worker. And she is so talented in riding! She showed Juliet for 5 years and won numerous awards for her talent! Now she has Cali, who is very green. (Green in the horse world means unexperienced!). So she has started from scratch with her and teaching her how to listen to the cues the rider gives her. And then she is teaching Cali to jump. Amazing. And she is so patient with Cali. What a beautiful girl she is...both inside and out! :) (Thanks Aunt Theresa for the awesome photos!!!)

GO PACK GO!

2011-01-17T15:54:00.004-06:00

So we all now know the good news that we beat the Atlanta Falcons last Saturday. Right now the only thing that stands between us and the SuperBowl is a little team called the Bears. Yep, thats right, next weekend we will be in Chicago...we are hoping for a big Packer win!!! :)

These pictures were taken at Aunt Theresa and Uncle Bob's house a couple weeks ago during another Packer game. The kids also got their Christmas presents from the Webers at that time too...

Natalie's 6th Birthday Party

2011-01-15T21:09:00.025-06:00

Picture overload, I know...but I just love giving these kiddos birthday parties...and since I have such a great photographer (Aunt Theresa) who captures every moment for me, it would be a shame to have these pictures go to waste! The theme for Natalie's party this year was "Snow Fairy".

There were 11 kiddos there (including TJ!)

Uncle Bob helping out!

I "made" the kids a table on the floor with snowflake wrapping paper.

Aunt Theresa getting ready to take a bite of her mini-burger!

Sara, Theresa and me...

The cake!!! The top layer was Lemon Cake with Blueberry filling and Cream Cheese frosting. The bottom layer was Dark Chocolate with Coconut filling and Coconut Pecan frosting! YUMMY!

Getting ready to play musical chairs.

Mema was having fun with TJ!

Playing Freeze Dance.

Elaena, Sara and Me.

Kenz putting fairy makeup on Jasmine.

I was putting on fairy lipstick.

Elaena painted fairy fingernails.

Sara was putting on fairy blush.

We couldn't have a fairy party without Magical Fairy Dust. Here is where I was handing out the fairy dust and wings...

Everyone make a wish....

Let the magic begin!

I know! I was having just as much fun as the fairies!

They had to roll in the dust to optimize the magical elements!

They were covered in head to toe in fairy dust...I am sure the parents loved me! :)

Natalie getting ready to blow out her candles.

Love this picture of Kenz! She had to roll in the fairy dust too! :)

Mema painting TJ's fingernails. (I know Daddy...it's okay, really!)

The AMAZING Miss Emily...

2011-01-12T23:07:00.011-06:00

Okay, so last week, Miss Emily (the kids dance teacher, she has taught ALL the kids for 4 years now) asked me for pictures of my kids. She said she was making something for me. So I picked out some favorite pictures of the kids and brought them to her. Um, tonight she BLEW ME AWAY!!!! She gave me the most AMAZING present anyone could ever ask for!!! It was a drawing that SHE had created of my kids all together. I attempted tonight to take a picture of it, because the scanner is hooked up to Brian's computer, which is in California right now...but that is besides the point. You can get an idea of it... All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for such a beautiful gift. I love being a mother, and having our kids portrayed in such an angelic and personal creation is just priceless. I told her that she really needs to consider sharing this talent with others. It would be a waste for everyone not to be able to see how talented she is! In our family (and in our church) we believe that talents are a gift from God, and it is our responsibility to develop those talents and share them with others so that we can enlighten other lives with the gifts that we were given. Miss Emily, you need to share this!!! Below are the photos I gave her, as well as a picture of Miss Emily and her precious baby Jaret that I photographed over the summer...

The Family: A Proclamation

2011-01-11T22:25:00.012-06:00

Fifteen years ago, the leaders of the LDS church, gave a powerful statement of our beliefs about families. Elegant and profund, I love the words of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." If you've ever wondered why Mormons feel so strongly about families, all you need to do is read this proclamation. The following is a book I had printed to keep as a reminder in our home.

We, The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings - male and female - are create in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.

Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.

Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife.

We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.

We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3).

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives - mothers and fathers - will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God.

Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.

Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.

Happiness in family life is most likely to be acheived when founded upon the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith,

prayer,

repentance,

forgiveness,

respect, love,

compassion,

work,

and wholesome recreational activities.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.

In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamaties foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

Natalie's 6th Birthday Invite

2011-01-08T22:06:00.006-06:00

Because Natalie is a Christmas baby, we end up having her birthday party in January...I don't think she minds, because she ends up with about a month worth of celebrating! Anyway, here is her birthday invite. The one image is the design, and then the second image shows how I backed it to a sparkly blue cardstock for the final product!

A wonderful gift from my sister...

2011-01-07T22:01:00.002-06:00

Today when I opened the mail I received a wonderful package...inside was a birthday gift from my sister. It was probably one of my most favorite gifts I have ever been given. Enclosed was a thoughtful card. She wrote "Here is a journal so you can write about nursing experiences and days spent with the family. I love this magnet too!". Love it! And I LOVE my lil' sis! Thanks Pamela!

Death of a Loved one...

2011-01-06T13:06:00.022-06:00

"One day your life will flash before you, make sure it is worth watching" -unknown

Gosh, this one is hard. When someone you know passes away, especially prematurely and unexpected, there are few words to describe all the many feelings running throughout your body.

There are no words.

So many notes, cards, books, poems all offered with genuine yet hopeless chagrin: "There are no words..." Still we seek to find them. In many ways we are recrafted by each death - how we reflect on the memories, how we plan the future, how we redefine all that we thought we knew.

Death. Sometimes it comes creeping in through the pores of our knowing like the sun steadily warming in the middle of a glorious day - nothing to take particular note of until afterwards when tender, red shoulders let you know that you've been burned. Aunt Pat's death was like this. Lung Cancer. It creeps and mutates, a monster within, churning until it overtakes the vessel it inhabited. There is time to say goodbye, time to make plans, time to cherish, time to make peace, time to make ammends. Don't take me wrong - it doesn't make it any easier to deal with such a death, but perhaps "time" is a tender mercy from the Lord. The Lord gives tender mercies in different ways. With Great-Grandma, I believe the tender mercy was taking her back to her heavenly home when she could pass away in the place she called her earthly home. I also believe she was called at a precise time when Grandma Hasse was not there and did not have to relive the events surrounding her death - leaving her only with the joyous memories of living.

Brian's cousin Dani passed away on Monday evening of a brain aneurysm. She was only 50 years old. Taken so suddenly and without warning. A wife, a daughter, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a friend in life, an angel now in death. There was no "time" given at all.

Life isn't fair. Where is God in that one? The tender mercy? Is there even a God? If so, why would He let this happen? Doesn't He know that she is needed here, on earth, that her work here is not done?

There are no explanations. The only thing we have to hold onto is faith. Without faith, we might as well just lay down and die right along side her. For every tragedy there is a miracle on the horizon. We can either focus on the tragedy or remember the life of the loved one with hope, happiness, and the willingness to wake up the next day - always seeking for a glimpse at the miracles happening around us. So I choose even when doubt creeps in, to still live my life full of faith. It is with faith that I believe we will be reunited with our loved ones again.

All of us will die. We know that. No matter how much we may get caught in in the daily tasks, and trivial things of this world while we are here, there comes a time in life which we contemplate death and what comes next. I am grateful for a faith that teaches me not only the purpose of life and where I came from but what will happen to me after I die. I will continue to live.

Death is not the end. It is only a doorway through which we must pass. It is one step in the eternal scheme of things. A piece of the puzzle that must be placed precisely in the spot created just for us. God knows us and has plans for us larger than we can even comprehend. It was Dani's time, for God has a calling for her that is more bountiful than even the calling we thought she had here on earth. There is so much more to do when we get to the other side. We continue our journey, and are reunited with those who passed before us.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.

-unknown

We can be together forever someday...

New Year's Eve!

2010-12-31T23:59:00.002-06:00

It is New Year's Eve...and being the adventurous family we are - we went bowling! Actually, I have won gift certificates for Cosmic Bowling for the entire family (a $60 value mind you), and they expired tonight, so bowling it was! It was a blast to see the little ones bowl! Happy New Year!
Natalie really loved bowling...especially once they pulled the bumpers up for her!

Alex's first church dance

2010-12-30T22:39:00.000-06:00

In our church, we believe that 14 years old is the appropriate age for kids to begin going to dances...so Alex was able to go to him first dance for a New Years celebration! I drove 6 of the youth down to Sheboygan for a stake dance. It was a ton of fun! Thanks guys!

Santa gifts...

2010-12-28T12:42:00.000-06:00

We came home late on the 27th. Or perhaps I should say early on the 28th. Our plane landed a little after 1am and after getting the car and the luggage, we ended up home just shy of 4am. Luckily for us, the kids let us sleep in until 10am! Then it was time to open the presents that Santa left at our house while we were gone!

Hiking in Arizona

2010-12-26T23:32:00.000-06:00

We hiked up the mountain today near Grandma and Grandpa's house in Arizona. It was awesome! And even better is that Grandpa made it all the way to the top! :)

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T22:41:00.000-06:00

For Christmas Eve this year, we did our Secret Santa tradition...we met at the mall and drew names from a hat. We then had $20 and one hour to find a present for the person we had. Then we gather around the Christmas tree and exchange gifts. We have to say the reasons why we got the gift we did for that person, showing the thought that we put into the gift giving. It is something the kids look forward to every year! This year we extended to fun to include Grandma and Grandpa Hasse, Brad, Aunt Pamela, Uncle Nick and Brad's girlfriend Violette.

TJ's first "real" haircut

2010-12-24T16:02:00.000-06:00

Today we took TJ to get his first real haircut. Well, I had actually just buzzed it before, but this time they did it right. He did such a great job and looked adorable when he was all done!

Pamela's wedding!

2010-12-19T00:27:00.000-06:00

I know this post is picture overload, and I am sorry about that! But my sister just got married and it was such a beautiful wedding, that I just had to share my favorite pics! Enjoy!Me and my groom... :)
The whole Hasse/Morgan side of the family...
Kennedy wasn't feeling good, so instead of walking down as the flower girl, she walked down the aisle with me!
Uncle Brad shot the whole wedding video!

Me and my beautiful sis!

Me, my cousin, and his boyfriend Josh.
Our little ring bearer.

Well, TJ didn't quite make it down the aisle as a ring bearer, so Alex was the bearer of the ring bearer. Or something like that.

Mackenzie and Logan walked down the aisle together.

I don't know what we are doing here, but it was a funny picture! :)

I don't know what we were doing here either. Hey - at least you can't blame it on alcohol!
Natalie got a guitar from Grandma and Grandpa Hasse on her birthday! It was so cool! She loved playing with it at the wedding! :)

This is TJ running BACK down the aisle after Alex carried him down to the alter. At least everyone got a good laugh!

My dad and Logan.

Natalie turns 6 today!

2010-12-19T00:00:00.003-06:00

Today our beautiful little girl turned 6! She is just a spit fire...and I love that so much about her!

***Make sure to click on the above image to make it larger!

Fly, Fly Away!

2010-12-17T23:29:00.002-06:00

Today we flew to Arizona for Pamela's wedding and to celebrate Christmas! It was a long night. We left at 2am from Green Bay and drove to Milwaukee to catch our 6am flight. No sleep for us!

Holiday baking

2010-12-12T23:37:00.000-06:00

We couldn't have a holiday without doing lots of baking. Cookies, candies, and bread...yummy, yummy! Everyone helps out. (okay, everyone usually but Daddy and Alex!)

The gingerbread house...actually this is where Daddy gets involved. He does this every year with the kids!

The Nutcracker Ballet

2010-12-04T00:13:00.005-06:00

Natalie was in this years performance of The Nutcracker Ballet. She was a twirlygig and a dragonfly. She did such an awesome job and we are so proud of her!

Mackenzie gets her braces off!

2010-12-02T23:56:00.002-06:00

Today Mackenzie got her braces off...she was one happy pre-teen! :) Doesn't she look beautiful!

First snow of the season

2010-12-01T23:24:00.004-06:00

Today was the first snow for the winter season...it wasn't much more than flurries, but it was beautiful and it allowed Kennedy and TJ to have some fun playing on the deck.

Kennedy loved catching the flakes on her tongue!

Decorating the tree...

2010-11-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

Our annual tree decorating party!

Christmas Tree Cutting

2010-11-27T22:49:00.001-06:00

Every year we go to a farm and cut our Christmas tree. Traditionally this is done the day after Thanksgiving, but since that day was brutally cold and windy, we decided to wait for that Saturday. This year Grandma and Grandpa Hasse, as well and Brad and his girlfriend Violette were here to join in the fun and excitement.

Gotta love Kennedy and her butt crack photos!

You should see how long it takes for us to pick out ONE tree for our family...oh my, what a process! This year we went with a blue spruce...

Natalie wanted to ride home with the tree!
Brad and Violette are hilarious together! Don't they make a great couple?

We end the Christmas tree hunt with sitting on Santa's lap!

Aunt Theresa's for dinner...

2010-11-27T00:57:00.004-06:00

Tonight we went for dinner at Aunt Theresa's...it was lots of fun, and we even got some good pictures of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa! :)Fun in this one...

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-25T00:51:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving was great this year! Grandma and Grandpa Hasse came from Arizona. Uncle Brad and his girlfriend Violette came from New York City (well, technically, Violette came from France!), and then Aunt Theresa, Uncle Bob, Matthew and Christopher came from Algoma! It was a blast!

Aunt Theresa's house for cooking

2010-11-24T00:55:00.000-06:00

One day while Brad and Violette were here visiting, they went to Algoma to learn to cook from the best...Aunt Theresa! Mackenzie went along for the fun.

Kennedy and her baby

2010-11-14T23:43:00.001-06:00

Today Kennedy was thrilled when she got a package in the mail. It was from Grandma and Grandpa Hasse and had her birthday present in it...an adorable little baby with a bathtub and all! Kennedy could play "mommy" for hours, all by herself. She just loves playing with babies!

Alex's birthday dinner!

2010-11-13T22:28:00.000-06:00

We went to the Machine Shed in Appleton for Alex's birthday dinner...
Everyone got to play with tractors at the table!

Kenzie wasn't there...she was in Minnesota at the Mall of America with Kira. :(
The servers came out to the table to sing to Alex. He was so embarrassed (yeah, right.)

Alex turns 14!

2010-11-13T22:24:00.000-06:00

Make sure to click on this picture to make it larger! :)

Alex. Gosh, what more is there to say. There is no other kid in the world that brings me such great joy and such turmoil...all in the same 10 minutes! :) I mean that with all the love in the world. He pushes every one of my buttons, and frequently adds to my head of gray hair, but at the end of the day I wouldn't change one thing about him. From juggling to guitar playing, I love him to bits! Happy 14th birthday son!