Dayne Basketball: Game 8

Before Graden and I headed out for a weekend in Springfield we went to Dayne's 8am basketball game.

Dayne is getting so much more comfortable with the ball! She has a good time playing ball and that truly is what is important to us!

Here Dayne is with Coach Jackie and Coach Robb.

They played a good game - very intense! - and pulled a Win! 21-19!

Basketball Games!

Both the kids had basketball games this weekend. I am so glad they are involved in sports, and really hope we can find something else for Dayne after basketball season is over. (Hunter is always practicing and preparing for football!). Hunter even talks about going out for track this Spring! No lack of activity for Hunter!

Dayne's game was Saturday at 9:00. She even got possession of the ball (for about 6 dribbles!). Dayne is still visibly cautious (afraid?) of playing ... doesn't seem real sure of where she should be at or what she should be doing. Her team played really, really well ... but lost by one point! This was the same team they played last weekend and lost by 5 points, so this was better!

Dayne "arms up, arms up!" trying to block the incoming ball!

Dayne being guarded. Dayne seems to be looking right into the girl's eyes, certainly questioning why she's dancing like a frog! : )
Graden plans to work with her this Spring/Summer to get her a little more aggressive and understand the fundamentals a little better. She really seems to enjoy playing though! That's important to me!

Hunter's Game was at noon. Today's game was one of the best games so far this season! The first quarter started out rough ... then they held their own ... then they struggled again. With 1:06 left in the game they were down by 12. They really, really hustled it and were down by 2 with 36 seconds left. Then we fouled the other team and they made both shots so the ending score was 52-48.

Hunter during the tip off! He got it ... but unfortunatly tossed it in the direction of the other team!

This is Hunter and one of his good friends, Brandon.

My patience was tried during the game. There was a lady (mom) sitting two rows behind me that served as the commentator for the entire game. "C'mon boys! D up!" "They're not even playing any defense (to the lady sitting with her)." Imagine having to hear these (and many other equally annoying) comments for 45 minutes straight. Oh! .... my favorite was, "Let's pretend we're a little bit athletic!" I wanted to offer her a nice hot cup of "Shut the hell up!" but didn't want to be "that woman" who caused a scene at the basketball game. Turns out she is the mother of the coach's kid. When I told Hunter about how annoying she was he said, "Maybe that's why it is Coach Joe's EX wife!"

Here's a video of Hunter getting knocked to the ground. He's #5, but I guess you will figure out which kid he is when you see someone hit the floor!

After the game we headed home and I got myself all psyched up to clean the dungeon. It was unsafe for the dog even (that's where he eats). It only took about 5 hours (I say 'only' because it was pretty bad! Think 'Clean House' bad!). Finally a little after midnight I called it a night and started thinking about what I could tackle on Sunday!

Comments?

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Dear Friends,

I am participating in the 11th Annual Dick Hiley/St. Jude Bass Classic to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital on May 2-3, 2009 in Wabasha, MN. I am contacting you to ask for your support of my participation in this cause to raise the much-needed funds for St. Jude.

St. Jude is the single largest center in the United States for research and treatment of childhood catastrophic diseases. When St. Jude opened in 1962, a child with leukemia had virtually no chance for survival. Today, thanks to the research at St. Jude, over 94 % of children with the most common form of leukemia, (ALL) will survive. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and around the world. No child is ever turned away because of the family’s inability to pay for the lifesaving care at St. Jude, which is why fundraising efforts like the Dick Hiley/St. Jude Bass Classic are vital to the success of the hospital.

On a personal note, this tournament is by far the most inspirational and unique event I participate in throughout the year and offers inspiration to all participating anglers. I frequently reflect while participating in this event on just how lucky I have been to have a blessed, healthy family and how frightening it would be to have one of my children face one of these catastrophic diseases. It does make me feel good that I can help ease the burden some these families face through my participation and the support of my friends and family.

If you would like to contribute to this great cause, please send you donation directly to me and I will collect those and submit them to St. Jude once a month up to the event. I wanted to get this early, as I know many us are running on a very tight budget, to allow you time to set aside few dollars for this great cause. This will also allow time for you to distribute this message to others you think may want to help St. Jude.

I will greatly appreciate any amount you can give to this great cause, BUT if you want a title it is going to cost you.

$25 will make you a Smallmouth
$50 will make you a Largemouth
$100 will make you a LUNKER!

But, as I said any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much, and I wish all of you a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009!

Make checks payable to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

If it would be more convienient I can send you a invoice via PayPal.

Send to me:
Graden Hansen
2244 SW Morris Dr.
Lee’s Summit, MO 64082

McGinnis McVisit

Donna's nephew, Rocky, his wife (Mindy) and son (Luke) came to visit us Friday night! As always it was great hanging out with them! We enjoyed Spaghetti Red for dinner then played Scene It. Mindy is AWESOME at that game! She knew the answer to a trivia question where the answer was the movie "Tootsie"! And she knew what the original French movie title for The Bird Cage was! Impressive! Hunter, Donna, Mindy and I partnered together to battle Graden, Rocky and Luke. Needless to say with skills like Mindy's, our team won!

We called it a night about 12:30 ... then got up Saturday morning for Dayne's 10:00 basketball game followed by a wonderful breakfast Donna had prepared the night before!

Dayne's team lost this morning ... they went from 3-0 to 3-3 over the course of one week! She played pretty good defense this morning.


Hunter had a game at 2:00 and they had a great game. Well, not sure that it was great because the smoked the other team! The final score was 44-14! Hunter played pretty good, too!


Before the McGinnis family headed back to Joplin, we took a few photos! We can't wait to have them back for another visit!

Celebrate good .... GRADES!

The kids got their report cards yesterday so we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate! Longhorn is the kids' favorite place to eat (and we don't mind it either!) so we went there for dinner and then to Sheridan's for ice cream.

While at dinner I discovered a hidden talent I have: I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue!

Neither of the kids had ever had a Shirley Temple so we ordered up one for each of them! They weren't as excited about them as I remember being about them when I was a kid!

It was a great night out .... and we were very happy to have Nana here to celebrate with us!

Polar Plunge

A friend of mine, originally from Waterloo but now living in the VA Beach area, will be taking the "Polar Plunge" on February 7th! Andrea is raising money for the Special Olympics so I wanted to make all of my friends and family aware of this opportunity to contribute - it's a great cause!

http://www.firstgiving.com/andreadellit

http://dellit.blogspot.com/2009/01/donate-to-special-olympics-so-that-i.html


Feel free to donate! I did!

~*~*~*~

Here is some more info on the fundraiser:

Special Olympics Virginia

Special Olympics is a year-round international program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop...

Special Olympics is a year-round international program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. By using sport as a vehicle for social change, Special Olympics Virginia strives to create opportunities for meaningful interaction and self discovery for everyone, and the organization’s goal is to open the heart and mind of every Virginian to the value and ability of the intellectually disabled. Special Olympics Virginia Inc. is the state program of Special Olympics Incorporated.

They're baaaaaaaack!

The kids and Donna got home about 4:30 this afternoon, after being in Jefferson City since Sunday afternoon.

They had a great time and learned a bit about the inauguration process, met some interesting people and got to tour the State Capitol (albeit, this was Hunter's 2nd time).

Hopefully I will have more pictures, but here are a few Dayne took:

Today's Writing Prompt: History

If you could live for a year at a different time in history, what time would you choose?

~*~*~*~*~

1952 comes to mind, but I don't know exactly why. I'd like to live during a time where women had a different role - - more of a sole responsibility for the kids and house, etc. And didn't work outside the home. Just to see how it was ... not that I would want to live like that forever, though.

Sans Children ... What To Do?

Graden and I rode to work today, so when he picked me up he suggested we go to Jack Stack BBQ for dinner .... and I didn't have any objections! We had a really nice dinner!

We got home and are just kicking back watching Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother! (Hunter is miffed we are watching it without him!) ... very relaxing. No fighting, no whining .... but no hugs and kisses, either (sniff sniff).

The kiddos and Donna will be home tomorrow ... they seem to be having a good time!

Congrats to Aunt Marilyn!

Graden's aunt, Marilyn (Ruestman), was re-elected as State Representative in MO so Donna took the kids to the inauguration, being held tomorrow! We were lucky enough to be able to attend in 2003 and it was quite an experience. Hunter really enjoyed it in '03, and was very excited to attend this year as well. Dayne's 4th grade class is planning a trip to the state Capitol Building in April of this year, so this will be a great preview for her!

That being said ... it's quiet with just Graden and I here!

Below is a picture Hunter took (tonight) of the ceiling of the Capital Building:

It was a pretty laid back week ... thus no postings.

Dayne had a basketball game Friday night and Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the team lost their "undefeated" title on Friday ... and lost on Saturday as well. The good news is that Dayne is playing much, much better defensively! She also got a foul on Friday night, which made me proud! : )

Hunter had a ball game on Saturday morning as well - in fact, at the same time as Dayne's game. Graden was working at the KC Boat Show all weekend so he wasn't able to take one while I took the other, so I had to just drop him off and pick up up after Dayne's game got over. I hate missing his games! Hunter's team also lost ... just wasn't a good ballin' weekend for the Hansen kids!

Today's Writing Prompt: Photo

What one moment in your past do you wish was immortalized in a photograph?

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Two moments: a photograph - from my point of view - of my babies as I saw them for the first time.

Today's Writing Prompt: Waiting

What are you waiting for?

• the right time to get all my photos organized, then scrapped
• the time to read all of the books next to my bed
• the right inspiration to shed my extra pounds (i don't know ... a heart attack at 32?)
• the right book to give me all i need to know to be a great mother
• the right book to give me all i need to konw to be great at my job
• validation
• the right amount of money to go on a family vacation to alaska
• the right amount of money to buy a new wardrobe (while watching "what not to wear" i spotted myself, i swear!)

Some People's ... Parents?

I have a saying when someone does something stupid: "Some people's kids!" Well, I had to modify it a bit today and say, "Some kid's parents!"


So I was on my way to work this morning and I see a kid on the side of the highway walking. It is a balmy 17 degrees out, he has only a sweatshirt on, no gloves, no hat. Now, I know it goes against everything we teach our kids these days, but I pulled over and asked the kid if I could give him a ride somewhere. Too quickly, he agreed to let me. It was obvious he was freezing cold!

He gets in the car and I made small talk: asking his name, what grade he is in, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WALKING ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY IN 17 DEGREE WEATHER WITH NO ... no ... just WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WALKING ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY?? Kidding ... I didn't ask the last question, but it was running through my mind! Turns out, he was in 5th grade and walking home so he could go to church. He was a very well mannered young man. He didn't have much further to go, but by the time I had picked him up he had been walking for 30 minutes already and had at least that much longer of a walk. A divine intervention that I had to work today .... so that I could help out this young man I guess!

I spent the next 20 minutes on my drive to work really thinking about this. Thinking why would his parents let him (make him?) walk home in cold weather along the highway? The highway and no coat is probably the kickers for me. I am not opposed to kids walking SHORT distances in cold weather.

Anyway .... I was thinking, well it isn't fair to automatically blame the mother/father, as I am sure my kids have done or will do things that I think are/were/will be dumb and maybe they didn't know he was walking?

But ... what about the home he was coming from? How could those parents let him leave in such cold weather and no coat? Why wouldn't they offer to drive him home?

Then I thought .... well, maybe they were at work this morning and didn't know he was out in the cold weather on the highway.

But for the life of me I cannot make excuses for all the people who just drove right past this kid and did NOTHING to help him! Fine, I get it ... it's a crazy world and this kid could have had a gun and killed me for my car and the $2.45 in my purse. How about just asking if he needs to use your phone to call someone to come get him? Or call the police and ask that a patrol car go check it out? Really, people of Missouri who travel on 150 Highway? ... I mean REALLY!!!! ... to do nothing to help a kid is just pathetic.

Today's Writing Prompt: Drive

Write about a memorable drive you've taken (with you or someone else behind the wheel.)

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The summer of 1993 I went on a family vacation with my mom, dad and Grampa Rich. We started in Iowa and headed West to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Grand Tetons then south to Arizona. I think we were gone for about two weeks total and I loved every minute of it. Well ... Dad was a little obsessed with the guisers in Yellowstone and there did come a point that once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Of course, we say Old Faithful!

The whole trip my mom kept reaching over and rubbing my belly. I guess it is important to make sure that everyone understands that in the summer of 1993 I was six months pregnant with Hunter! : ) I can still hear my grampa Rich telling us what our miles per gallon was .... and reading so many of the road side signs out loud .... reading to us about the "ant-i-queu" (antiques) stores along the way ... I loved it and am so grateful that my parents took me (and Hunter!) on that family vacation!

The Hansen Hap's in the last week

Friday 12.26:

I was orginally planning to work the day after Christmas, but when my boss, Matt, said that none of the managers needed to be on site ... I didn't argue! So, I spent the day with the family!

Gretchen, Hunter and TJ got up early to do some shopping and go looking for some great deals, but I decided to stay home and sleep in (and not spend money!)! Turns out, I didn't miss anything! I was hoping they'd find some good deals for their sake though. We spent most of the day just lounging around ... as we did the next TWO days! It was great having four days off!

Saturday 12.27:

Graden and Hunter headed to western Kansas to go scope out some hunting grouds. They spent the night there, since it is about a 4 hour drive. They didn't kill anything, but got in some good bonding I think! I love it when the boys spend time together just the two of them. As much as they bicker and Graden can get onto Hunter, I think they really do enjoy spending time with each other. For the most part, they get along really well. I am so grateful for that.

That afternoon we took the kids shopping to spend some of their Christmas money. They each got a new Webkin ... so that kept them entertained for a few days. Webkins are stuffed animals, but are also interactive online. I don't fully understand it all, but they sure do love it!

While the "monsters" (as we call them) were entertaining themselves we watched the movie Stop-Loss. It was pretty good ... intense at times and very sad at times as well.

Sunday 12.28:

The boys were gone most of the day, still scouting for ducks to kill at some later venture. The girls spent most of the day just lounging and 'laxin' (as Hunter used to call "relaxing" when he was just a tot!). We watched the movie Eagle Eye ... it, too, was a pretty good movie. Very action packed! All in all ... a pretty uneventful day! But plenty relaxing!

Oh, and the girls had a blast playing with Oz ... tucking him into bed. And of course, he ate it up! He'll take any kind of attention!

Monday 12.29:

Boooo! I had to go back to work ... and it was the start of a hectic week! January 1st is very symbolic for the insurance industry -- everyone's benefits start all over so our customers want to call first thing to order their medications! I don't fully understand why they can't wait until January 10th, for example, but ... whatever. It is what it is! : ) ... and it's job security! I'll take all I can get!

Tuesday 12.30:

I worked. I came home. We ate dinner. We watched TV. I went to bed. But, as boring as the night was, we did manage to capture this adorable moment between "Uncle" and Kylie!

Wednesday 12.31:

Graden's aunt and uncle, Dick & Marilyn, and cousin's daughter, Zoe, (the ones we went to Dog Island with last summer) came for the afternoon. I had to work, so I didn't get to spend time with them on Wednesday (but did on Thursday!).

New Year's Eves really should be a lot more exciting than this one was ... but we had a lot going on so we didn't really prepare too well. Gretchen, Donna and the kids (sans Dayne) spent the day in Joplin and got home about 8:00 so we just made some snacks and laid low until midnight came ... then all kind of settled down and called it a night. I am sure that if the 16 year old me I could have looked at the 32 year old me, she'd say "Looo-hooo-zer!!". Ah ... well, if she shoe fits!

When it came down to it, I was so grateful to know that my kids were home SAFE with me on one of the craziest nights. Next year at this time Hunter will have his license ... I am sure I will be a wreck worrying where he is and if he's safe!

Thursday 1.1:

While I was at work, the rest of the family spent time catching up with Dick & Marilyn and watching football. Graden smoked a brisket for lunch/dinner, so when I got home about 4:30 we all sat down for a very nice dinner. We followed dinner with a small birthday celebration for Kylie, who will turn 5 on the 21st. Since Donna will be staying with us through January, Gretchen wanted to have a small family party while we were all together. Kylie really seemed to enjoy it!

Friday 1.2:

Gretchen and the kids headed home ... it was nice to have them here for 8 days! Time flew! The kids really seemed to enjoy their time together ... even with the occasional bickering about whose turn it was to use the laptop. They knew better than to come to me with thier woes, for each time my response was the same: Work it out or I will take it away and no one gets it. That kept them away! : ) That's called problem solving and is important to learn young!

Saturday 1.3:

Graden and Hunter went to Stockton fishing for the day -- it was 65 degrees here! -- but had to cut their day trip short due to the trolling motor on the boat blowing up. Too bad ... Graden had high hopes of catching a bass in January (something he's never done, understandably!).

Well, I am headed to bed ... have to work tomorrow. Since it's crazy busy season I have to work six days a week. No whining from me though (see previous comment about job security!).

Hope everyone had a happy and safe new years!

Hugs,
Tiffany