Meet My Siblings Day 6: Meet Ethan

Ethan is my little brother. My little brother that has dark brown hair and big blue eyes. He is my little brother that was quiet and reserved as he watched the happenings unfold.  He grew up too fast. I say that about all my little siblings but seriously he did. One second he is a little runt, the next he is dunking a basketball.

He has always been the quiet one, but when we get talking, he can laugh and talk with the rest of us.

Don't worry he isn't a complete recluse. 

He recently sprained his ankle in an alumni game.

I keep getting pictures from family members of it.

Grossy josie.

He is in the middle of track season where he has been winning the high jump left and right. He is just a junior-so its not the end of his high school season.

Like I have said before, sometimes I feel like I still think all my siblings are 6 years younger than they really are, I still see them as they were when I left home. But I try to call home and if a sibling answers I try to talk to them for longer than "Hey is mom home?"

Once I called Ethan to talk to him and got an entire 45 minutes of conversation out of him.

My mom was in shock when I told her.

Granted half the conversation was me asking questions and him responding with "ermmmm I dunno."

So it may not have been a full blown convo, but it counted for something. 

I was asking him about his career choices, he talked about maybe a police officer maybe too dangerous, maybe a fireman, maybe a farmer, then we got down to the grind-he likes engineering stuff. 

Okay sweet-engineering. 

My mom was in pure shock when I told her that.

The things that can happen when you talk to someone in true real intention to get to know them.

By golly.

I asked what Ethan wanted for Christmas/or his birthday pretty much jerky and gatorade. 

Well that must be a hot item there.

Well when you live 30 minutes away from a little dinky convenient store and a gatorade probably cost $3.75 and a small piece of jerky is $1.75, ya that would be a good gift.

You see if something yummy is at my house it is gone in less than 20 minutes.

I brought home some 'sugar' cereal once.... it wasn't even breakfast lunch or dinner and every person in the kitchen poured themselves a bowl and it was just gone. Bam.

Candy has to be hidden and disguised or it will just be gone in 2 minutes.

Jerky-jerky doesn't even last 1 minute.

One time I ripped open a bag in front of probably 10 family members, and every single person swarmed me and took a piece or two. Gone. Before I can even reach my hand in.

So that makes sense why Ethan would ask for jerky or gatorade.

When the store is so far away you get delicious fever, and no toast and jam is going to give you your fix.

So basically what I am trying to say...he isn't completely crazy for asking for it.

He acts like he doesn't like Miles, but he for sure does. I saw him playing with him when nobody was looking. And Ethan is a girl magnet. 

This is at my wedding reception in Standrod I think....

See I JUST GOT MARRIED....(4 years ago) and how did he turn into a MAN since then.

He's taller than Brad!!!!!!!!

I love seeing Brad bond with my brothers...brings a warm feelign to my heart.

This was over a year ago, so he has grown a bit. And I think I was tip toeing.

Ethan is number 11, and a good one at that. Quiet, reserved, can laugh at anything, still lets me call him eefee, and doesn't mind if I kiss him on the cheek.

He will still be my little brother, as tall as he is.

Meet My Siblings Day 5: Meet Chandler

So I have been MIA for awhile. We went to Dallas to visit our dear friends and Brad's sister Lindsay for Brad's spring break. Then Miles came back so sick, and we spent our days busy busy....I don't even know doing what. 

Days have just been flying by: which is so good....because I'm ready for warm summer swim time.

Now you may have thought oh Brittany forgot she had a blog, but I didn't and in fact when I don't post I get that sinky heart stomach feeling that is probably anxiety that I have a huge to do list, and the blog is just LAST. That's just how it rolls. 

So now Brad just folded all the laundry, now here's to hoping I can put it away right now and not in the next few days/weeks. The last laundry folded is still on my dresser, but its dwindling because I keep picking clothes from that pile. I have clothes problems. I love washing and drying clothes, folding is not even bad. But putting away just kicks me in the bum. 

Back to Chandler. This post is the most past due I still have to post Miles Six month info and stats, and Dallas trip. Which I can do! I just am lazy with my blog right now okay. 

Chandler is my little blonde brother and in my mind, him and Ethan go together like salt n peppa.

Chandler has blonde hair and Ethan has brown, so its perfecto. 

They have always fought like crazy.

Still do.

Chandler is a star! He was on America's Funniest Home videos, pulling a sword out of his diaper.

He won 2nd! Woot woot!

That's how I love to remember Chandler, him and Ethan putting bottles in their underwear pretending they were rockets.

Since leaving home 7 years ago (oh my gosh I'm getting old) I have to try to keep my relationships with my siblings at home. 

I have memories of them on holidays and weekend home trips (which don't happen anymore).

So I have a hard time making memories now, but I know that Chandler used to be a little squirt who nobody wanted on their basketball team and now he will be the first chosen. 

Chandler is such a selfless person. He has been the Ammon babysitter for so long.

He watches Ammon all the time. He takes care of him and hangs out with him all the time.

Chandler was in the Ammon videos (previously posted), helping him read the cards.

Chandler is always the hard worker that doesn't complain, he takes care of the job and Ammon is the hardest job usually.

Chandler and Miles Dec 2012

(he just got back from Early morning bball-wasn't that excited bout a picture)

This is at a a wedding...........Landon's...whoooo lost my mind for a minute and couldn't remember.

Pepper on left, Salt on right.

Far left Chandler/Salt then Ethan/Peppa (far right is prego me and prego Summer)

(Here is Chandler showing his care taking skills with holding Ammon in far left-I am peeking out behind him -prego)

Chandler also has leg problems.

He was born so BOW legged. I remember him in his little diaper running through the dirt outside and making a huge dirt devil. He was SO bow legged if you held up his pants they were bow legged too!

He has had several surgeries and one just recently on that silly leg, hopefully it can get straightened out!

He ran everywhere, and he had the best dinosaur impressions.

Last year I was asking him what he wanted for his birthday, and he kept saying he didn't know, then after about a 45 minute conversation I finally got it out of him that he wanted Nike Socks. They are expensive and special bball socks, so its not that lame.

But those conversations are things that remind me of why I love my siblings so much.

I love spending time with individual siblings. So often we are a conglomerate and its nice to get to know each one individually not as a whole, if that makes sense. 

Chandler is such a good friend to everyone, and he is the younger brother under Ethan (who can be a meany to him even now) and he takes it well. I love his blonde hair and blue eyes, and I love his willingness to do anything you ask.

He helped me so much over Christmas with Miles, and he didn't complain one bit, he played with Miles and was so nice, and I love playing games and getting to know him better. It really is like I have missed 7 years of his life and just whoop he is in high school now, and not a little runt anymore.

Chandler: So kind, girl magnet, crooked leg, Ammon care taker, athletic, blonde brother that I love so much!

Meet my siblings Day 3: Meet Ian

Ian has always been a character. He LOVES dressing up and when he was super little he would MAKE his own costumes...like he made a jedi knight costume and cut it all out himself...

He hadn't even seen star wars. Brad and I decided that only smart people obsess themselves with star wars...Hence Ian's attraction to it.

Once he wrote his letter to santa in Star Wars language which he memorized.

He was 5.

See his previous SIBLING post HERE.

(Ian Far Right)

He is very serious and intellectual, and always has important things to say.

But he is still a kid and loves Legos.

Like obsessively loves legos.

Just watch a little of THIS

And THIS

And there is FIVE parts to it...so we could go on forever. 

To see what a little cute nerd he is.

He FORCED me to film his entire star wars battle with legos...

IT was about 15 minutes long.

Then somehow I deleted it. 

He cried and cried.

Then Brad re-filmed it.

I was burnt out.

He loved playing with Miles over the Christmas break. 

He thought it was fascinating that he would eat and chew on anything within reach.

He also asked all sorts of developmental questions....

Is he walking?

When will he talk?

What does he eat?

Like he was a research project...

but that's how a lot of things go for him.

Here is cute Ian and Lad (Number 15) at Brooke's (Number 1) wedding

So lucky to get a little shot with these two comrades. 

The way Ian talks is something else. He speaks as if he is so well rounded and edified and sophisticated.

About a year ago I had him for Christmas.

First we had an email conversation

Ian's Email to me: I was wondering what Lego star wars set you were getting for me. Well I've figured out what sets I've wanted. 2258 and 2112. Thank you. That reminds me of Thanksgiving. Are you coming home? Bye!

My email back to him:

Well I already bought them so I guess u will have to wait and see, nope we are going to dallas tx to visit brads sister but we will be there for christmas!

His email back to me:

Yeah, whatever. Its good to not know your presents for Christmas. Well thank-you anyway. See you next month!
PS, 2258 and 2112 are ninja-go sets, and I corrected your letter.

(my previous email was after his email, all corrected notice how he changed you, added capitalization HAHA)

Well I already bought them so I guess you will have to wait and see, nope we are going to Dallas, TX to visit Brad's sister but we will be there for Christmas!

So that was the start of something that I never could have expected.

He then called me at least once a week to see if I had gotten it, and he then sent me a list of about 20 options for lego sets he could have.

One conversation went like this:

Me: Hello.

Ian: Hello, I was wondering if you and Brad have bought my Christmas present yet.

Me: Ian, its November 20, I still have a month.

Ian: Well I need to send you an updated list of all the ones I want. What is your budget for me? If $50.00 is too much I have included some lower priced ones, $25.00 ones, $20.00 ones..

What is your budget?

Me: Ian, I have to talk to Brad, he wanted to help choose the set we get you.

Ian: Where is he, talk to him now.

Me: Well he is playing basketball.

Ian: In this weather?

Me: No he is playing at a church.

Ian: Okay, well what is his number I will call him.

Me: Ian, he won't answer his phone and I will talk to him when he gets home and we will decide and we will buy your present and it will be a surprise to you! So stop asking me, and stop calling me.

Ian: Bye.

He is smarter than all of us put together this kid.

Over Christmas break he was telling Brad all of the body systems and what they do.

Hello? I don't even know that, and I am married to a med student and I am 24 and have a bachelors degree, and my little squirt baby brother knows it? Well who memorizes a star wars language when they are 5?

Ian used to make paper people, and he would spend all of this time drawing them and cutting them out and making them stand up, and obviously it drove my mom crazy because he used to make hundreds and he would have a full room of paper people. They were so mini like the size of a baby carrot. Now in his spare time he still builds those, and also legos is his main consumption of time.

When I was home a few times ago he asked Brad to teach him Powerpoint. He thought Brad was so smart because he is, but Brad said to him, "What? I don't even know how to use that, ask Brittany."

Ian was shocked that I knew how to use it, he thought that only SMART people could use things like that, and me being a teacher of 5 year olds, shouldn't know how to use something like Powerpoint. So I taught him and he was pretty amazed and made his own powerpoint within a few minutes.

Genius.

Because he is unique and brilliant, its so sad to me that he gets picked on at school and I was talking with his principal (because my good friend married this guy and moved back and her husband is now the Elementary Principal so we stopped by and saw him) and he said Ian is annoyed at their lack of desire to learn and they make fun of him because kids make fun of anything that is different and unique, and Ian is unique, he is creative and a designer and artistic but at the same time smart with everything else related to being scholarly...

Also, he told me some interesting things....that Ian INSISTS on being called Hans at school..

Bahahahahhahaa

So he has been called Hans at school for some time now, but at home we call him Ian and always have.

(His first name is Hans-Hans Ian Hansen.)

Oh Ian you are full of surprises.

Ian Number 14. 

Love him to pieces. 

Meet my siblings Day 2: Meet Lad

Remember how I am doing a montage of my siblings??

Well Lad is next. Number 15. Lad was named Matthew Lad, and I still call him that....and it is fun to tell people his name is Lad.

Its weird maybe a little, but it fits the little chap just perfectly.

Ever since he was little he was such a hard worker. I remember him working with Landon all the time. 

He would be following him along without saying one complaint but just doing what he was told.

He is quiet and kind, but has a temper of some sort.
See his previous SIBLING post HERE.

I was so surprised by him after bringing Miles home for Christmas.

He loved him. Truly truly loved him.

He would always want to hold him and play with him. He would go check on him for me over and over again while he was sleeping.

He also would run up 3 floors just to go get me his Sophie the Giraffe, or his blanket, or a diaper.

Truly a gem little Lad.

Its sad to me that I am not around my siblings to watch them grow up, but Lad is obviously number 15, so he is the bottom of the patch, meaning he is the littlest boy, which means he probably gets left out a little, and he probably has to fend for himself a lot.

My favorite part of Christmas break is when we were all playing Uno (like 13 of us) and I laid a draw 4 on him, and he couldn't handle it, it was too much, he put his head down and started to cry. Brad tried to console him and Landon drug his head up and said, "Toughen up."

Then it started happening on anything, when he got skipped or sometimes he would get a draw 16 after they all piled up. He was just in and out of tears that entire card playing experience. (Ian as well-number 14)

Finally Tanner (number 4) said, "These two just can't handle any type of defeat, they are too tired."

So then Sally (number 8) (maybe Echo (number 10) I can't remember) said, "You guys just need to go to bed." And they both ran out of the room crying going different ways.

Clearly they were gamed out.

He is a passionate little boy and loves kids, loves legos, and loves his family.

He is a hard worker and good at taking care of things.

My prediction is that he will be successful in life.

My mom says he will get home from school (ever since he was in Kindergarten) and get his homework right out the minute he walks off the bus and starts working on it. Then finishes it and puts it right back in his backpack. Oh I love him. He was my little sweetie baby. My Miles reminds me of Lad when he was a baby. Chunky and sweet.

Love him.

Lad Sibling Number 15.

Meet my siblings Day 1: Meet Faith

A long time ago, I posted about my siblings. In 2008. Wowzeroni. Now I want to do it again. Starting with Faith again of course. My family has loved looking back at their personalities and even used it for projects and such. I love all of my siblings-yes even the flatulent ones. (Brad will say I have no room to talk-he says the Hansen's have gastrointestinal problems-whatever that means).

The first time he met Sally-she farted. The first things she ever said to him was, "Sorry that reeks."

So my family is special in my heart. Very special, and being here in Lubbock makes me appreciate them and love them more than ever. And having a little boy grow up without being around his dear extended family constantly, breaks my heart. So this will suffice until Landon, Tanner, and my dad and MAYBE my little Faith, will travel to OK 5 hours away to do a pivot job. More on that later gater.

PS I have this SERIOUS rhyming problem right now. Everything I say last, I throw in a non-word rhyme. I know its strange and disturbing burbing.

So my siblings go as follows. Brooke, Tosha, Hannah, Tanner, Summer, Landon, (me-Brittany), Sally, Shad, Echo, Ethan, Chandler, Ammon, Ian, Lad, Faith

Faithy-poo.

The first thing I can say about her, is that she loves to hug and kiss and be all up in your face. She turned 5 in June, and my mom wasn't ready to send her to Kindergarten because the class was going to have 40 kids, and I advised her against it, and my parents live 30 minutes away from the school (its country folks) and it was going to be half day. So my mom just said-can it. Really I think its because my mom has a little attachment issue, but that's okay for a mom of 16 to have that problem with number 16.

Faith has this thing about saying the cutest things in the world. When we were getting Miles' ultrasound at 20 weeks, she came with us. She was talking and talking on the way there then we got there and SILENCE. She was in shock or something. We told her we were going to LOOK at the baby. Then as we were walking out she said, "Brittany, where's the baby?"

I said- In my tummy, silly.

She said, But I thought we were going to see the baby today.

I said, We did on the screen.

She said, But I couldn't see it, why don't we get it, let's get the baby out.

I continued to tell her that I was not HAVING the baby today. We were just having an ultrasound to find out if it was a boy or a girl.

She then said, Ohhhhhhhhh Why didn't you tell me!

Oh Faithy poo.

My favorite video of her ever is one I took while I was driving.....ya sketchy but I was looking at the road in my defense.

Click here for Faith

If you aren't facebook friends with me you probably will not be able to watch it.

Faith loves her sisters, and its like she has extra moms. She also loves my mom and goes with her everywhere. The other day I called my mom, and my mom handed her the phone and after talking to her I said, Ok where is mom? She said, Oh I she went into a store.

Me: What! She left you in the car? Are the doors locked? Where are you?

Faith: Hmmm I don't know I just see a building.

Me: Oh perfect aren't you scared? A bad guy could come. Make sure the doors are locked.

Faith: Okay hold on, I'm watching this movie and I gotta push pause so I'm setting the phone down.

Long pause, hear scuffling. 

Me: Faith? Where is mom?

Faith: I don't know but now I am scared, is a bad guy going to come?

Me: No, well I don't know.

Faith: Well I'm going to go find her.

Me: No no no no just stay in the car.

Hear a door slam.

Faith: How does this snow get so dirty?

Me: Faith what are you doing? Go back to the car.

Faith: I'm going in this store but I can't see her....hmmmmm.

Me: Okay go back to the car right now.

Phone cuts out...

Awesome I just helped my little sister get lost who knows where they are.

My mom did end up calling me back saying that Faith did go back to the car and my mom came right back out and apparently they were not at a real like grocery store but some honkey donk print shop. So...it was all going to be okay.

But I did realize I am more paranoid than both my mom and Faith apparently.

Faith is so serious about being tough and winning and she loves everyone.

So many times she has just thrown a total fit when I have left, so mostly we sneak out without saying goodbye to her...its easier.

She obviously is spoiled being the youngest of 16, but also kinda independent. 

She cried when she found out Miles was a boy. She went to the ultrasound that day as mentioned previously and she really didn't like it when we cut the cake and found out it was a boy.

She started to cry right away. I don't like playing with BOYS!

Well she actually does....hence why Miles got the Chicken Pox from her.

All her kisses behind our backs.

She went through this stage of grrrrr smiling.

She still calls me Brinnee.

I don't mind.

She loves to tease and kiss and hug.

She also loves junky things...hence why she went crazy with my jewelry a few years ago at my house.

She has the blonde and blue like nobody's business.

She wants everyone to hold her and hates being left behind, which is ironic her being the rear end of our family.

But she also is the highlight of our family. She makes us all laugh and not take life so seriously.

She is a bit spoiled by all of us.

I think my parents are tired frankly, so they have loosened up in their old age, so Faith throws a fit and they just watch her and go on about their life.

If I would have thrown a fit like that I would be apologizing to everyone and kissing whoever I just punched....but she has spunk and more personality than all of my siblings put together.

She has 5 older brothers....so Echo who is almost 19 is her closest sister...so she is boyish.

She's long and lean, and will probably be taller than me so I officially will be the shortest sister.

She is so observant and doesn't miss a thing.

She loves her niece Jemma and probably sees her the most because they live the closest.

She is so helpful if she wants to be. With Miles she will do anything and play with him forever.

She can be quite moody at the drop of a hat. That's just her fire.

She is such a thinker and always saying things that make you go hmmmm.....I have really NEVER thought of that Faithy.

She loves life, and doesn't like it when she isn't involved in everything. (PS I'm pregnant in this picture-so excuse the lardy)

She is adventurous and hasn't been scared of anything. She is silly and happy and kinda clingy actually.

Sometimes she just never stops sitting on your lap playing with your hair and kissing you on the cheek. Its so funny because my mom is NOT like that at all, and yet Faith is like that to her, and to me and to her sisters. She is everyone's favorite sister, and how could she not be, her energy and excitement is contagious, and I love her.

Faith Sibling Number 16