Annual Valentine Cake Party

For over 20 years our family has decorated Valentine cakes. The party keeps getting bigger and bigger and more and more fun. It's always interesting to see how the cakes turn out. Some are packed with as much candy as possible. Some are cute and well-designed. Some try to make a statement. This year I noticed that more cakes were minimalist due to pre-party munching! Here's a look at Valentine Cakes 2009:

Lacey's 2nd birthday

Lacey turned two on February 12. We had a little birthday party for her at Grandma Sharon's house that evening. The whole day I was trying to teach her to hold up two fingers when I asked her how old she was. She could finally say "Two!" and hold up two hands. Close enough! She also sings happy birthday like this: "Happy Bir-day, Sacey!" She's undeniably cute! She got some new clothes, a cute purse and a stuffed poodle.

To continue the birthday festivities, on Friday, Feb. 13 we went to Grandma Susan's for a cousins' birthday party. Lacey's cousins Scott and Ashton also have February birthdays. She got a new baby doll, My Little Pony, necklace, bling phone, a new book and new clothes.(Thanks everybody!)


How did my baby girl grow up so fast! I just want to squeeze her and make her stay little. Her happy personality brings joy to our home.

Campaign Kick-off

On February 9 I took the kids to a campaign kick-off party for Andy Hafen, my uncle. He's been on the city council for over 20 years and now he is running for mayor. Good Luck!

Hey, What's Happening?

Not much has been going on around here lately, but here are the highlights: I had a chest cold for about two weeks. You know, the kind where you are coughing up chunks. It was uncomfortable but not debilitating. Then Alex got sick, and let me just say that he's a bear when he's sick-grouchy, but pretty much stays in his cave.

Alex and I have managed to go to the temple three times since the beginning of the year. That puts me ahead of my new year's resolution to go the temple once a month this year.

I also have had some interesting experiences substitute teaching. At one school I was in a learning disabled class and we watched the movie Mama Mia all day. At another school I was in an English class. The AP class was reading Heart of Darkness and they were like "Please tell us what this means!" Luckily, I am familiar with that story and it was fun for me to analyze it with them. The English II Honors was reading the Aeneid which I had not read before but I am good at asking questions and checking for understanding. The English III class was to write a page about what president they would like to meet and what they would ask him. One kid said he would like to meet Millard Fillmore. This is the same kid who thinks that the best way to stimulate the economy is to legalize marijuana.

Luke is having a hard time potty training. He is not motivated by potty treats, threats, or even the reward of his own Nintendo DS. Since he is still wearing pull-ups crazy things like this happen:
This is the laundry. The white stuff at the top is not soap bubbles, but that stuff that is on the inside of a diaper or pull-up. That's what happens when you don't check your loads before you put them in the washer.





The most exciting thing that has happened is this weekend I put tile on the kitchen floor. Okay, I helped do it, but my friend Jessica did most of the work.

Book Review: East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck

I went to a book club meeting Thursday where we discussed East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck. (If you're asking how I ever have time to read a book, I have to admit that if I am reading a book usually something else is not getting done like cleaning the house or updating the blog or feeding my kids.) This book takes place in early 20th century China. The central character is a girl named Kwie-lan who is about to get married to the man she has been arranged to marry since before she was born. Her mother has taught her all the things she needs to know to please her husband like how to paint her eyebrows in just the right way and how to serve tea to her husband's mother with both hands. However, her husband has been educated in the west and wants his wife to be equal to him and to go against custom and live by themselves instead of with his parents. He even wants her to unbind her feet. These ideas are so foreign to Kwie-lan that she is distraught and seeks the advice of her mother who tells her to do whatever she needs to to please her hsuband. Unbinding her feet becomes the bonding moment between Kwie-lan and her husband. So while things are going well for Kwie-lan, the same cannot be said for her brother who went to America and brought back an American wife. He is disowned from his family and his mother is so upset that it causes her death. Kwie-lan and her brother both break from centuries-old traditions to find a new life for themselves and their families.

Here is what I took away from this book:1) No matter how much you prepare for something, sometimes it is much different than you thought it would be, and that is not necessarily bad. 2)When you really get to know someone you realize that you have more similarities than differences. 3) What happens when the western idea of love meets the eastern idea of love is the same theme of another book by Pearl Buck called Mandala which my mom checked out for me to read one summer during high school.

All in all, if you are looking for a good read, pick up East Wind: West Wind by Pearl Buck.

Grandpa Herschel's 90th Birthday Party

My grandpa Herschel Hafen turned 90 on January 19. On January 17 we had a party for him. He is one of thirteen children and he has seven children of his own. So with brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, it was quite a full house. Each of his childrens' families shared some kind of musical number, all of which were beautiful (we get that from our grandmother). What I thought was best was that Lance spent almost the whole time sitting next to grandpa. Lance has a special affinity for old people and Grandpa said it just made his day that Lance wanted to be next to him.

If you know my grandpa, you know that he is the strong silent type, but every once in a while he can be quite witty. He owned a tire store for many years and he loves his family more than anything in the world. It's interesting that I married someone who is the strong, silent type, witty once in a while, runs a tire store, and loves his family more than anything.

Tis the Season

Tis the season for school Christmas programs with visits from Santa:

Tis the season for birthdays. In my family, just in December, birthdays include me, my mom (she turned 60 this year) my nephews Clayton and Frankie, and Alex. And just added to that December birthday count: new twin nieces, Erica and Elizabeth. These are my mom's grandkids singing at her birthday party.

Tis the season for big family get-togethers that include good food and good talent.

Tis the season for snow days, although where we live that is rather unseasonable. There was just enough snow for it to be fabulously fun and to make a few snowpeople. That really is almost a once in a lifetime memory.

Tis the season for the magic and joy that Santa can bring into a child's life.

I love this season!