Happy Holidays

Ben loves looking in the mirror so we put a mirror next to his bouncer
and he spends most of his time just talking to himself.

He only tried to grab the tree a couple of times but sure enough he
reached for the ball that he could see himself in.

Slowly but surely he is starting to move around on his stomach, it's only a matter of time
before he starts crawling.

Here is Ben on Christmas morning. He didn't really know what to do but he liked playing with the boxes and wrapping paper.

Here is Ben playing with the dog. He loves chasing peanut and trying to ride on her back.

Christmas Time

Well, we are finally settled in now in our home with Tiff and Jeff and the boys. Trent has returned home which we are all very excited and very thankful for! It is so much more fun to have the boys around with their excitement and energy. Of course we're still so thankful for our own little guy, Benjamin. He is still growing and learning. Now if we leave him on the floor he will roll all over. We're just waiting for him to start crawling and getting at the DVD player, the TV, the radio, etc. (One of his favorite toys is a little remote that we took the batteries out of. We don't let him watch TV, really, but he loves the remotes! A true boy! j/k)

Anyway, we have been very blessed so far this Christmas season. Both of us have new callings in our ward: Allison is an adviser with the Young Women (beehives), and Alan is teaching in Elders Quorum. Both of us had to speak in church today about how we can show our love for the Savior. It was good for us to be reminded that love is found in our actions, not simply in the declarations of our feelings. We have to prove our love for the Lord through what we do, and the best way is to serve others. Wow, we are so grateful for the love the Lord gives to us in all the good around us. It is our prayer that our love can be our gift to Him this Christmas.

October Pics

So it has been a long time since our last post. We are now settled in our new place in Herriman, Utah. We are enjoying having triple the amount of space that we had in the wonderful Village at the U. Since it has been so long we decided to just do a quick collage of pictures from the past month that show what we have been up to.

Our Look-a-Like Meter

Well, we had hoped that this meter would help us determine who Ben looked most like but this highly scientific test proved that he is 50/50.

The Big Secret

It has been a while since we last posted anything, but a couple fun things have happened since the last time. The biggest thing that happened for us was on September 8th at the Utah vs. Air Force football game. We were finally able to tell the truth to the world--Alan was the one and only SWOOP! (Swoop is the University of Utah mascot--a red-tail hawk.) During half time at the game, he rode out onto the field in a London Taxi (driven by his dad, Gary) before taking off the head and showing everybody his real identity. It has been a fun two years while he's been the mascot, full of football, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and all sorts of other events. Alan enjoyed being the mascot for the U. It was a fun way to be involved at the university, and it gave him great contacts and experiences. Allison loved going and watching him, too. Both of us are grateful that he was able to do it!


Last Saturday we were able to go to the Utah vs. UCLA game. Wow! It was incredible! The Utes were amazing and totally smashed UCLA, 44-6! We loved the game, and Benjamin did, too. We even went down on the field afterward and took some pictures of us in the U.

24-7!

What happened to our Utes?! The first game of the season against Oregon State was not a pretty one. Was anyone else as disappointed as we were? What with two of our top players out and all, we may be in for a loooooong season. Let's hope not. Maybe we can pray for help...wait--that's what the BYU fans would do! Ha ha, just kidding. Hopefully our season will just improve from here. Next week, Air Force, here we come!

(Benjamin didn't like the game, either.)

So this is my first attempt at posting on our blog. All is going well with our family! Alan and I are still learning so much about being parents. Ben is growing and making us smile every day. I love staying home with him.

It's weird knowing that school at APA has started and I'm not there anymore. To all of my former students: I miss you! I had so much fun teaching you over the past two years! Keep practicing and having a blast playing with Mr. Dye. And make sure you write to me on my blog! I'll stop by and visit occasionally throughout the year. I have to say, though, that although I miss teaching, I have no regrets about being at home with Ben. Being a mom is the best job in the world!

Benjamin and Alan at Ben's third baseball game in three months! This one was on his three-month birthday.

"I love baseball!"

Benjamin with Allison before the game. (Sam and Amy, he loves his hat!)

Ben with some of his cousins!

Here is Ben with his cousins Xoie, and Spencer. Xoie is one month younger and Spencer is 6 weeks younger. 6 weeks makes quite the difference!

Trent is holding Ben at Primary Children's. Trent is wearing his "Chicks dig Pink" T-shirt that he uses to flirt with the nurses.

No Hair!!

Well Allison finally let me shave my head. All the boy's in the family shaved their head for Trent. Trent is our nephew who is currently fighting Leukemia. He is doing good check his blog out at trentduval.blogspot.com

I have to admit it feels pretty good to have the hair off!

Some pics of all of us

We blessed Ben on July 1st. It was a great day for all of us!

Ben is getting a lot bigger these days. Here are a couple of his pictures. He has a great personality and it is really starting to show!

New Job

Well it happened finally. Alan got a job. He has been out of the "real" workforce for almost 3 years but now he is back. He is working for Rio Tinto they are a global mining company and for those of you in Utah they own Kennecott. We are staying in Utah and will be looking for a place to live once the village kicks us out. You can check out www.riotinto.com. This company is giving him an opportunity to use his french on a daily basis as he will be working with mines in France and Quebec. We are excited for this new opportunity and look forward to new challenges. Benjamin continues to grow. We estimate him to be about 11 lbs. but will have the official poundage on the 17th. Allison is just loving being a stay at home mom and is doing a great job with it. We will post some pics soon so you all can stay informed.

Meet the Coaches

Here we are at the University of Utah Summer Tour in Park City. This picture is with Coach Jim Boylen (Basketball) and Coach Kyle Whittingham (Football). We are looking forward to great Football and Basketball seasons.

Baby Ben's first video

Here is a video of Benjamin's first day with Grandma Lord

Benjamin

Benjamin Lord Hansen was born May 17, 2007 at 12:44 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. and was 21 and a half inches long. Allison and Ben are doing well and left the hospital for home on May 21. We welcome Ben with open arms.

Benjamin is here!!!

Here's Benjamin the first day. He had some problems keeping his oxygen level high. After some very loud crying to open his lungs, he was able to keep his oxygen levels where they needed to be.

Here's Allison with Ben shortly after delivery. She had a C-Section after she was diagnosed with Preeclampsia. A C-Section was the best alternative to guarantee the best possible outcome for Allison and Benjamin.

Yes... The nights are long!!! But well worth it.

We will get him started young in following the righteous path! Go Utes

University of Utah Baseball

Here I am doing play by play for University of Utah Baseball, at Franklin Covey Field.

I am here with my color analyst Lloyd Cole

Allison also checked in to see me in action.

Graduation Day

Here I am with Dad and Mom at my graduation. (Alan's Parents)

Here we are with most of the family (Allison's side) David had a state band competition, Brad is in Argentina on a mission, and Annie couldn't make it.

Allison and Alan celebrating the big day. Allison is hiding her belly. She is now less than a month away from having Benjamin.

"Who am I sir? A Utah Man am I!!"

Here we are with Chris and Marie Egbert, on our Europe trip. Mom and Dad it's just apple juice I promise. It's been awhile since this trip but we figured we could catch you up on our life from the past few years and then we will keep you up with recent details. On this trip Allison performed with the University of Utah Band in Belgium. We also visited France, England, and Holland. It was great fun.

Thanks to the Red/White Game we have gotten into the mood and are ready for college football to start once again.
U know who we will be cheering for GO UTES!!!

The First Day of the Blog

We decided to put together this blog to let our friends know what is happening in our lives. Allison is 8 months pregnant, her due date is May 23rd. We are excited for this new addition in our family. Check back often to this blog to get updated information photos and videos. I will post future announcements through this blog. Keep in touch and don't hesitate to ask any questions.