Family Reunions 2014

The WHOLE Hansen Family got together in June.  All 7 kids and their families.  It was so good to see everyone and so crazy!  At one point I went into Grandma Hansen's kitchen and I swear there were 30 people in there talking and laughing with the music blaring.  It was awesome...in small doses :) Aunt Kristina, Uncle Jordan and I joked that Aunt Kathie's house was where all the in laws go to take a breather when it got too crowded for us :)  But seriously what a great family who love each other with so many people who love each other.  What are the chances?  We're lucky to be a part of it.

 We had Uncle Saul and Aunt Kate's wedding reception the Saturday of the reunion.  Here is Ian with his best friend from High School, Andy LaMarche.

And here are the wedding cakes that Aunt Mariah and Aunt Shiloh made.  

The King Family Reunion was at Priest Lake. 

We were missing Ian because of school work (it will be worth it right?) and Jackson who is in Juneau.  But good times were had by all.  It was cool to watch Isla fall in love with the place I grew up in each summer as a kid.  

Dane's Blessing Day

This is what Grandma Hansen recorded of your blessing:

Dane’s blessing
April 27, 2014

We bless you with the ability to know that you are loved, that Heavenly Father loves you and has placed you here on the earth.

We bless you with the ability to care for others.

Follow the example of your parents and family, always doing things that are pleasing to Heavenly Father.

We bless you to serve others and find satisfaction in life, following the gospel path. Stay on the gospel path and you will be a light and a beacon to others.

You will serve in many ways and make a difference in the world, being a benefit to others and enjoying all the blessings Heavenly Father wants you to enjoy.

You will have an eternal family of your own, that will return home to Heavenly Father together.

We bless you to be knowledgeable, and aware of things to keep yourself safe from harmful influences in this world.

We bless you with a testimony of Jesus Christ, and that you will live according to your testimony.

Introducing Dane Christen Hansen

Introducing Dane Christen Hansen

He was born February 24, 2014 at Holy Family Hospital in Spokane, Washington via C section.  He is named after his Great Grandpa Christen Hansen.  We love him so much.  He is the most chill, happy little guy we've ever met and has our heart.  Welcome to the family little one!

A bun in the oven

That's right.  We are adding to our family.  Baby Hansen #2 is due March 5th, 2013.  What a happy surprise this was for our family.  Because of my health problems, we thought that we wouldn't have anymore kids but here we are.  At first I was very worried, but I received a blessing of health for me and the baby.  I also keep hearing the words of my Patriarchal Blessing that I had previously ignored which talk about my "children."  Although I'm worried about how I will handle sleepless nights and postpartum stuff, for now I feel great being pregnant and so will be grateful for that and not worry about things until I have to. 

Isla is so excited to have a sibling.  When I asked her if she wanted a brother or a sister, she said, "both!"  Ha ha!  Ian is also very excited and felt he was being prepared for the news very specifically the week before we found out.  So when we took the test, he felt very at peace. 

We are thinking of names because I love thinking up names.  We won't know for 4 1/2 weeks if we are looking at pink or blue.  Part of me and part of Ian is tempted to be surprised by the sex but we'll see.  So far we have one name for a boy that Ian has picked out which is Dane Christensen.  If it's a girl, we've been thinking of Nora, Hallie or Hazel.  We will see.  For now, it's just happy baby bumpin'!

A note to the milk man

Here's another one from Isla....She's on a roll!  The other day we had a guy come to the door selling real, legit milk man services.  Can you imagine the cuteness?  A real milk man coming to our door once a week.  I just loved the idea.  Well Isla did too and she wanted me to write down a note for the milk man and tape it to the door so he'd see it. 
Here goes...

"When all our milk is gone, give us more milk and we will drink it right up - two jugs ok?  Enjoy the milk making!
The milk man will deliver all the milk to the children.  Those children will love their milk.  See ya later milk man!  Have a good time making all the milk ok?! 
Don't forget to make a jug of milk for yourself ok milk man?
Love,
Isla

Isla's First Story

This story was told by Isla, dictated by Grandma Williams

Special dinosaurs are nuffin but sloppy scales and tails.  And hammerheads have special hammer things that break through the wood. 
Snake dinosaurs have fears and they stick their tongue out. 
And most humans have dinosaurs for pets in their backyards.  They have special long necks to get a drink of water to store in their bodies.  And then their stomping feet have special alavities and to stop through wood like hammerheads. 
T - Rexes have nuffin but sharp teeth and loud roars to call out to the jungle.  And most dinosaurs go in parades.  And little baby dinosaurs have little baby balls to play with.  And most crabs like to eat baby dinosaurs but the daddys keep the crabs away.  And most dinosaurs eat squirrels.  And bull dinosaurs can charge through bad rhinos. 

The End. 

A few Sunday thoughts

Ian and I were walking Isla into church.  We each had her hand while she "skated" on the icey parking lot.   She was laughing and for a brief moment, I thought, "This is happiness."
I don't always feel that way in family life.  I don't always think in every moment, "ahh this is happiness."  In particular with mothering, I have felt guilty about that, the fact that I'm not always happy.    I'm good at some things.  For example, I like adventures.  The other day I told Isla we  were going to ride the city bus.  Even though it was pretty dang cold we bundled up and walked out to the bus stop and waited for our bus.  She was thrilled with the experience of getting on that  big bus.  We rode all the way downtown.  We walked over the sky walks and looked at the cars below us.  We told each other to shoosh as we walked quietly through the bank and then we stopped at a toy store in the mall and played with the toys there.  Then we walked downstairs to see the giant Christmas tree and say hello to Santa.  He waved and gave her a candy cane.  Then It was time to go back home and we went back through the mall, through the bank and over the sky walks to the bus station where we caught our bus home.  It was a great day.  I'm good at stuff like that. 
But if Isla asks me to play with her?  Dieing a thousand deaths is what I feel like.  Anxiety comes over me as I try to play pretend and think of something for my character to say.  I look at the clock and find myself saying, "ok I'll play for 5 min."  Nothing in me enjoys "playing" where there is no point or no objective, just pure playing.  I have had so much anxiety over this and have even audited myself at the end of the day.  "Did you play enough today?"  Beating myself up if I hadn't or if I had but didn't enjoy it.  This guilt has intensified in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut where so many parents don't have the privilige to get on the floor and play with their kids anymore. 
Today in Relief Society we studied the talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf called Of regrets and resolutions. 
It talks about regrets many people have who are dieing, one of them being wishing they had spent more time with their loved ones.  Immediately my guilt radar comes up.  "I don't enjoy the time I have playing with Isla or I just don't even play with her enough."  Then someone made a comment about doing things with her loved one that she didn't like to do but she did them to spend time with that person.  Something clicked with me.  I don't sit down at the side of the bath tub with Isla playing a game with her 30 different bath toys where we help them one by one jump into a bowl and have a conversation with each one before they are able to jump into the bowl because I love to play that game!  I do it because she does and because I love her.  So as I look at the clock and think of a million other things and even wish  this game would speed up, I can remind myself, "Im doing this because I love her.  It's ok that I don't love it.  Before I would avoid these games because all I would think the whole time was "I hate this."  Now I can give myself a break, and hate it but do it anyways and hopefully free myself of a few regrets.  And when those happiness moments come, I can soak them in for all they're worth.