Ending 2012

Let me start by saying...

Happy New Year!!

Yes, I am writing this post on New Years Eve 2012 from my comfy couch, in my comfy PJ's with NO cocktail or snack in hand...  And to only make that statement better... I AM LOVING IT!  Yes, that's right, this is exactly the way I wanted to spend my New Years.  

Boy have times changed from just a couple years ago... From going out all night, many phone calls at 12:01am and much much more FUN!  But, with a toddler that doesn't understand the meaning of "sleeping in" and baby #2 on the way, staying in, staying warm, and relaxing is all the excitement I need in my life tonight.

With that said, I sit here, watching Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve (or however you say it) and reflect on (what I would call) a wonderful, fun, crazy, emotional and most of all LOVING year.  Yes, what a year it has been!!!  

This year has brought so many memories that I can't even sit here and list them all off.  I am grateful for all the fun times, the sad times, and most importantly, every single moment I was able to enjoy with my amazing family.  I truly have been blessed with such a great husband and lovable toddler.  They bring so much joy to my life that every time I think about either of them, all I can do is smile!  

I am so excited to ring in 2013 in my NEW HOUSE, welcome our second bundle of joy in June, and make many, many, many more fun filled family memories! 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!

Much Love,

Abby

**PS... Since I haven't had time to blog in about a month (moving, Luke's crazy work schedule, sick with the flu and baby #2... you name it..) I have kept a list of all the "catch up" blogs that I MUST write.  I apologize now for the next couple weeks and the overload of updates from the Hansen Household!***

Halloween 2012

Ok, so I TOTALLY understand this is WAY overdue, but I didn't want to post our Halloween pics until the news was out about the baby :-)

We spent the Saturday before Halloween with some of our wonderful friends!  THANK YOU to Jill and Jason for hosting a GREAT party!  Seriously, so many laughs throughout the night...  Not to mention many "remember last night when" moments on Sunday.  I am already looking forward to next year!

Scooby and Daphne

(our wonderful hosts)

SNL Cheerleaders!

"Bun in the oven" and Bun Maker

The Olympians

Keith Stone and Gaga

Such great friends, great memories and looking forward to many many more!  

Even BIGGER News from the Hansen's

So, "the cat was let out of the bag" a couple days ago... Therefore, I had to make our BIG announcement "facebook official" and now "blog official".

Baby Hansen #2 is due June 16, 2013!

We are truly thrilled to share this news and to give Jameson a little brother or sister.  I have to admit, the second time around has not been all fun and games!  Everyone says the second one is harder due to the fact you have another child to care for, but this, this has been nuts!  Between being INCREDIBLY sick since week 4, not sleeping hardly at all, eating... well that's just a joke these days and oh yeah... a super busy 16 month old..  WOW!  this has been one tired mommy.  A HUGE thank you goes out to my wonderful husband, parents, mother-in-law and father-in-law for helping me out over the last few weeks.  

Although it's been a rough start, I am willing to deal with it all since the "prize" at the end of this 9 month journey is simply amazing.  We were able to see baby's heartbeat the first week of November and everything looked amazing.  

So, our prediction is that it's a GIRL!  (I promise that is just a guess!)  I was not really sick with Jameson (besides a little food sick and smells kind of did me over sometimes, but nothing like this) and everything is so different this time around...  Let's just say, I would be very happy if this one is a boy, but as of today, I am seeing pink in our future.  

Timeline - I am about a week away from my second trimester!  If we decide to find out the sex of the baby this time, you can expect to see an announcement around the end of January/beginning of February.  

Grandparent visits (catch-up)

Pretty much the story of my life these days, but I am behind on posting about our two weekends of visitors.

The first weekend in November my parents made the drive out to Sioux Falls to visit.  I have to start by saying I am so thankful they were here because I had a rough week of feeling under the weather so the help was fantastic (Luke had to work the entire weekend).

We truly did not do too much but play, play, and play some more.  I have said this a thousand times, but J is obsessed with my dad and that is all he cared about the entire weekend.  Nana and I just sat back and enjoyed "the show" of giggles, snugs and wrestling.

The BIG excitement for the weekend was the fact that my parents were in town when we found our NEW house!  We had just started the house hunt that weekend and they were so happy to be apart of it.  Not to mention the fact I LOVED that they could see what we were looking at and they could also give us their thoughts and opinions.

Sadly, I did not get any pictures the entire weekend.  Again, I blame this on the fact I was under the weather and giving it all I had to get off the couch!  haha

The following weekend Luke's mom and step-dad visited!  So much fun!  They were able to get to town in the early afternoon Friday, so we had a little extra time together.  Friday evening was spent relaxing around our place, enjoying a delicious home cooked meal, and catching up on many laughs.

Saturday we were able to just bum around and do whatever we wanted.  Naturally we had to hit up the mall for a while and then (all three) boys decided to head home and relax/nap while Jean and I decided to hit up the craft show.

We had been contemplating all day where we wanted to go out for dinner...  Oh how the times have changed...  With Jameson RAPIDLY becoming a full-fledged toddler, going out to dinner it not-so enjoyable these days...  So what was our solution?  Pizza and beer in the comfort of our home!  Nothing gets better then that.  Jameson was happy, the adults were happy and we all had a great evening.

Jean and Mark got up early Sunday morning and headed East.  Luke, Jameson and I spent the rest of Sunday relaxing as a family and enjoying some much needed snug time!

Thank you to both my parents and Luke's mom and Mark for the wonderful visits!  WE LOVE YOU ALL and LOVE having you out!

Exciting News From the Hansen's

Well, you haven't heard much from me over the last week and a half because we have been one busy family.  Between two weekends of Grandparent visits and BUYING A HOUSE (yes you read that correctly) it has been go, go, go on our end.

The main point of this post is the HOUSE comment.  Over the last few months, Luke and I have been doing a lot of talking, searching, and "figuring things out" for our family.  We moved to Sioux Falls with the mind set that this was not really "home" but rather the "next stop" on our journey together.  With that said, things have not really felt just "right" since we arrived in SD.  What do I mean by that?  Well, now that we are a family, no matter where we are living, we want to make the best of that time.  Make everything feel right, homey, and most importantly, make sure all three of us are HAPPY!

Honestly, things just haven't felt like home.  We went from owning our own home to renting in a neighborhood that we just do not like.  Up until recently, we knew there were people living in the houses around us, but would NEVER see anyone outside.  No one to chat with, have a fire with, dinner, drinks... You know, all the fun neighborly things people do.  (but then I met Mallory and things turned around!  Thank you for being such a great friend Mallory!)  

With that said, the many chit-chats Luke and I have had recently lead us to the decision that no matter if we are here in Sioux Falls for 6 more months or 6 more years (depending on the career path Target has in store for Luke) we need to make each stop along the way feel like home... beginning with Sioux Falls.

So, here we are...  About to close on a house we love and ready to make this stop on our journey feel like home and make the best of the time we have left here in Sioux Falls!  We can't WAIT to get into our new place!  And one of the best parts, it just down the street from a couple we love to hang out with!  (Jill and Jason, we are SO looking forward to being neighbors!)

Closing Date: Dec. 17th!!  

Just in time for Christmas!  SO EXCITED!

Happy Halloween 2012!

Happy Halloween

From the Hansen Family!

Mr. Jameson aka - Mr. Cow

He's all set for Trick or Treaters

Not happy to be sitting down

He just wanted to RUN

Cow on the run

FINALLY carving our pumpkin!

Yes, yes...  Better late than never :-)  

We finally got around to carving our BIG pumpkin!  

I have to say, between Luke being super-duper busy at work and Jameson and I feeling under the weather, it just doesn't seem possible that it's already Halloween!  I feel like we should have two more weeks to enjoy the season!

Mapping out "the plan"

Luke was REALLY into making everything

symmetrical!

Sitting in the "big boy chair" watching daddy

"The Plan"

J was pretty much spent at this point.

It was now mommy and daddy's project

Diggin' In

He was so done!

Finished Product

 He liked it! :-)

I LOVE Halloween!

Jameson... The Artist??

So, we had our very first dose of "bad" weather last Wednesday and Thursday.  Not to mention we had a sick little man for the majority of the week, so by Thursday afternoon, Jameson was so tired of being cooped-up!  We had to get a little creative in the Hansen Household for some new entertainment.

Bring on Facebook and Pinterest for IDEAS!

Solution: 

PAINTING IN THE BATH TUB!

Now, I have to put a little disclaimer/FYI out there.  Although Jameson is ALL boy, he does NOT like to get his hands dirty... so it was a slow start to the "project" because he did not like the idea of his hands being dirty AND he could not lick the paint off.

Here is a little glimpse of our messy/colorful/laughable fun!!

BEFORE

Hmmm...

not too sure what to think

See what I mean.. 

Not liking the idea of his hands being dirty... 

I was trying to show him how to draw on the paper, but he

was more interested in painting the tub..

Finally getting into it :-)

 This is really ok Mommy?

SO MUCH FUN!

It's crazy how a little paint can be so entertaining now-a-days!  This will definitely be a reoccurring activity as the winter months creeps up on us.

You know your a parent when...

Your wine rack is no longer used for delicious, refreshing, (sometimes) romantic VINO!  

That's right, no more wine...  the toys have moved in and taken over mommy and daddy's "fun place" 

Yes, we vacated the wine once Mr. Man became mobile and let me tell you, it was within minutes that he decided the wine rack was HIS!

Oh the simple joys of parenthood!  

I do miss the wine, but I would take toys over wine any day with Mr. J!

2012 Pumpkin Festival

I LOVE FALL!  It's by far my favorite time of year!  The weather is perfect, the food is always delicious, comfy sweatshirts, windows open at night, spiced EVERYTHING, and to top it off... PUMPKINS (and Halloween! - which I LOVE!)

With all of our traveling over the last few months, I really hadn't spent anytime making our home feel like fall... And let me tell you, both Luke and I LOVE the spirit of fall in the house.  So the best way to bring fall to the house???  Pumpkin Festival!  

Oh yes, I was just itching to get some pumpkins on our front door step and plan a carving party :-)  I was so excited we were going to be in town for the last big festival at Country Apple Orchard.  

If you remember correctly, Luke and I took Jameson to the Apple Festival last year...  Let's just say it was a whole new experience this year!

2011 Apple Festival

VS.

2012 Pumpkin Festival

From the moment we arrived, all Jameson wanted to do was RUN RUN RUN!  I think I was thinking we would enjoy the animals, go on the little tractor ride, jump in the small bounce house... You know, enjoy what the orchard had to offer before we picked pumpkins.  NOPE, not so much!  Jameson had a different idea!  But he had the time of his life and it was so heartwarming to watch :-)

I promise you, J did not stop running the entire time!

We then found the GIANT hay stack for kids to climb on and let's just say... We were all over that!  Mr. Man was having a "hay-day"  (sorry, I just had to say it!)  Throwing hay, laying in hay, eating hay... you name it and he was doing it.  GREAT TIMES!  GREAT ENTERTAINMENT!

Luke had to head to work in the afternoon, so we had to end our play time and head over the the patch and pick out our perfect pumpkins!  Again, such a different experience from last year!  It was so much fun to watch Jameson run around all the pumpkins, explore, touch and eventually pick out the perfect little pumpkin all for himself!

Hmmm which one should I pick?

THIS ONE!

Not only do I love fall, but I love making these unforgettable memories with my amazing family!  I can't even put into words how much I loved watching Jameson explore the pumpkin patch all for himself!

HAPPY FALL!

We Made It

Whew! WE MADE IT!  That's right... Wedding season 2012 has come to an end for the Hansen Family!  I have to say, we had the TIME OF OUR LIVES over the last 16 weeks, but all three of us are looking forward to:

1. Sleeping in our own beds for an entire week

2. Not packing every Thursday evening

3. No more LONG car rides (for a month or so)

4. Not hearing 4+ hours of Elmo from the back seat 

(I am pretty sure Luke and I can sing the entire DVD from memory!)

5. No more endless loads of laundry Sunday evening

6. Home cooked meals all week long!

Although it feels GREAT to be home... It sure was fun traveling, visiting family and friends we haven't seen for a long time and most importantly, making unforgettable memories!  

From the bottom of our hearts, we have to say THANK YOU to all our friends and family for inviting us to be apart of your BIG day!  We feel so honored to have spent so much time with people we love and keep close to our hearts.  We wish everyone life long love and joy!  

Always,

The Hansens

Edlhuber/Presler Wedding Weekend

Michigan is one beautiful state this time of year (colors galore!).  And, to top off the beauty, add a wonderful wedding and one great looking couple and the sight is breathtaking!

That's right, the Hansen's had one last wedding to attend this year.  My college roommate, Monica (or as most of my friends know her as Moni) was marrying the man of her dreams.. Evan!

What a great way to end our wedding season!  Fun, friends and lots and lots of LOVE!  

I left for Grand Rapids on Thursday so I could get a little extra time with Monica and help her with a few last minute details. (Luke joined me Friday evening)  Thursday evening was spent enjoying a delicious dinner, great conversation and one last VERY important errand... Picking Up THE DRESS!  Then it was time to work on some last minute "crafts" before we called it a night.

Oh and how could I forget... A couple snugs with 

Miss PENNY!

LET THE PARTY BEGIN!  

That's right, Friday morning began celebration weekend :-)  Guests were arriving and most importantly, it was time for some pampering and quality time with our bride-to-be!

Meredith, Nicki and Meggan

Edlhuber Sisters!

4 blushing Bridesmaids + 1 Stunning Bride =

 One heck-of-a great wedding party!

Now this is the life!

Nice and relaxed!

I have to say, our nails looked dynamite and we were all ready for the BIG EVENT!  

The weather may have turned a bit rainy and cold as the day continued on, but that wasn't going to stop this wedding party from having a great time!  Rehearsal went down without a hitch and we were ready for some delicious food and cocktails!  

Moni and Evan

All rehearsed, relaxed and ready for their BIG DAY!

Bring on Saturday!  It was time... Time for Moni's wedding day!  I just have to take a quick time out and say, Moni - when I woke up Saturday morning I was a giddy girl!  I was so excited to stand next to you as you married your best friend.  You were so excited leading up to this day and it just made the entire weekend heart warming! 

A wedding day wouldn't be complete without all the "pretty pep-work" for the ladies!  That's right, hair... make up... champagne...  the whole nine-yards!  

THE DRESS!!

Our Morning Entertainment.. Ryan!

"Rylan" and I before we were all "dazzled up"

Our beautiful flowers!

Love the colors

"Going to chapel and we're, going to get married..."

And, we're off... 

It was time to head on out so our dear friend could GET MARRIED!

Getting close... The shoes are on!

 One last look!

So, so beautiful

And.. We... Are.. READY!

Moni didn't stop smiling ALL day!

Quick pic with my love :-)

 We clean up nicely!

Moni and Evan are Married!

The ceremony was so beautiful and perfect for Mr. and Mrs. Presler!  

But, it was time to P.A.R.T.Y!

We headed out for some wedding party photos and then headed to the wonderful reception!  It may have been chili, but I have to say, the weather was "picture perfect" for breath taking photos!  

Reception Shenanigans

Hooligans! 

 j/k!  

GREAT friends and GREAT times!

HOT

Too much fun!

Justin Bieber... Is that you?

 Oh yes, we are dancing to Beyonce!

Take two...

(do you love my tennis shoes and suit jacket?)

As if the evening couldn't get any better, Moni and Evan had a PHOTO BOOTH at their reception!  WAY TOO MUCH FUN!  (here are a couple samples of the fun we had!)

Seriously, a memorable weekend!

Moni and Evan - you two make the perfect couple!  The love you have for each other is seen from miles away!  You two are always smiling at each other and you light up every room you enter.  I was honored to be apart of your special day and wish you a life time of love and happiness!  

Never take those smiles off your face :-)

Enjoy HAWAII!

As always, when mommy and daddy are away, little J will play!  And play he did!  A HUGE thank you goes out to my parents for spending the weekend with our little man.  He had so much fun and made us pay for your absence all day Monday!