"Spoiler" Alert!

My mom and dad came to visit this weekend.  (they were having Jameson withdrawals) haha!  I was so excited because my dad's 55th Birthday is next Saturday and I knew we wouldn't be able to head home to help him celebrate.  So, I decided to try to make this weekend a little extra special for him (spoil him).

They arrived Friday evening and I had these waiting for him:

My dad and I have one very important thing in common... We LOVE our ice cream!  I remember as a child going to the grocery store with my dad and he always had to get a box of dreamcicle ice cream bars.  So, I was so excited when I found a recipe on Pinterest for dreamcicle cupcakes!  They turned out very delicious and most importantly, my dad LOVED them! 

Mom and dad didn't arrived until later in the evening on Friday, but we didn't allow that to stop us from a little birthday celebration.  I had put a roast in the crock pot and we also dug right into the yummy cupcakes.  Unfortunately Luke had to close, so he wasn't able to join our birthday fun.  

We took my parents to see the "falls" on Saturday morning (brrr was it cold!) and then we headed out for a nice lunch before Luke had to head into work for the night and Jameson needed to lay down for an afternoon nap. 

 Lunch at Braco's

After we all took a little afternoon nap, we decided to go visit daddy at work and do a little bumming around Sioux Falls.  We made a very yummy crock pot meal for dinner (thanks to Pinterest) and then the three of us relaxed in front of the TV once J was in bed.  

Today (Sunday) mom and I just HAD to get some shopping in, so we took off for the mall while the boys went to pick up our new freezer (Thanks mom and Dad!).  Luke and I are heading to Mexico in two weeks and naturally I need some new clothes (and maybe a new purse) :-)  Luke had to head to work for the evening,  Jameson went down for a nap and then mom and Dad took off to head back to Ona.  

It was such a fun weekend!  Although our weekends together go so fast, they are always a wonderful time!  Love you mom and dad and THANK YOU so much for coming to visit!

Happy Half-Birthday Jameson

Our little man is 6 MONTHS!!  C-R-A-Z-Y  He is growing up way too fast!

I have to say, this past month has been so much fun and absolutely eye opening when it comes to an infants growth and development.  I can't believe all the changes from 5 months to 6 months.  Luke and I keep saying it feels like we have a toddler now instead of an infant.  Jameson is developing the most wonderful personality and he is such a happy/healthy baby!

6 month statistics:

Weight: 19.3 lbs (78%)

Height: 27 3/4 inches (88%)

Head cir: 17 3/4 (51%)

Diaper size: 3 

Clothing size: Anywhere from 6-12 month (depends on the brand)

Jameson's developments over the last month:

It has been a very exciting month!  Where do I even begin with the changes from the last month.  I know I mentioned in the last "birthday blog" Jameson was sitting up on his own...  Well now he really is sitting on his own.  He can sit on the floor and "play" with toys all by himself!  It's a wonderful new development.  I love the fact that he is gaining some independence and is really enjoying his surroundings more.  He is also grabbing for EVERYTHING!  Not to mention, after he gets what he is reaching for it goes directly in his mouth.  I have to admit, it's pretty comical because he seriously tries to put the entire object (no matter the size) into his mouth at once.  And if it doesn't fit you ask... he SCREAMS!  All I can do is laugh...  haha!  Jameson is still eating about every three hours, but he is also getting two meals a day of fruit and veggies.  He enjoys eating off a spoon, but the bottle is still his number one!  The biggest change over the last month would have to be NAP TIME!  Yes, we actually have a nap time now!  Mommy had had it with no naps during the day.  He would be completely spent by mid afternoon, but would refuse to nap.  So income sleep training!  I just decided one day to lay him in his crib in the afternoon and sure enough... He was out within 10 minutes!  It's been so nice; not only to have him get some rest but to get a few things done around the house as well.  Nap time can range anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours, but something is better than nothing.  Morning naps are another story... and probably another blog.  Oh and how could I forget...  TEETHING!  Yes, we started teething! I know I said previously that Jameson has been taking teething like a champ...  Well let me rephrase that comment... He is a "typical" teething infant now.  Runny nose, spats of crankiness, nothing making him happy at times, tired... You name it and we have experienced it.  BUT... he has 2 bottom teeth and 2 top teeth!  He is so funny to watch because he liked to chew on his fingers before, but now that it actually hurts to bite down he is finding out that doesn't feel so good!  haha.  He also is moving his mouth and chin around in such funny ways exploring those "new things" intruding in his mouth.  Jameson is also responding to his name and to all the noises around him.  He loves to laugh, giggle, scream, jump around on mommy and daddy's lap and of course (my favorite) cuddle.

6 Month Photos

 

It has been such an exciting month for all three of us!  Luke and I LOVE watching Jameson's developments and he truly warms our heart each and everyday!  I couldn't imagine our life without our little pumpkin!  Love you, Jameson!

Change of Plans

Well, winter finally arrived...  Of course it arrived the one weekend we had friends coming in from out of town!  Grrrr!  Matt and Kayla Schwein were planning on driving to Sioux Falls (from the Twin Cities) so we could spend a fun filled weekend together!  Unfortunately the weather got the best of our plans, and they were unable to make it.  (Kayla, if you are reading this, I promise you guys made the best decision to not come... The weather here was horrible!)

Although we were really sad Matt and Kayla couldn't make it, Luke, Jameson and I decided to make the best of our weekend.  Luke had the entire weekend off, so we especially wanted to take advantage of that.  Saturday morning Mr. J decided to set his "internal alarm clock" bright and early... Yes 5am BRIGHT AND EARLY!!!  Thankfully, Luke and I decided the night before we BOTH would get up whenever Jameson did so we could spend the entire day together... as a family... (we typically take turns getting up with Jameson and let the other sleep the mornings Luke has off)  So, Luke fed Mr. J while I cooked a big breakfast for Luke and I!  We NEVER take the time to do anything like that when it's just the two of us, so it was a nice little treat.  Boy was it GOOD!  and a great way to start our day!

My handsome boys relaxing on the couch

We spent a couple hours just relaxing as a family, watching TV, playing with Jameson, snacking, sipping our morning coffee and snugging.  It was so wonderful.  It was then time to get up off the couch and head out for the day.  We really didn't have a game plan, but we knew we didn't want to just sit around.

Luke was leaving for Fargo Monday morning, so we decided first things first, we needed to get the oil changed in the Murano... (ok, I know, you are asking "why is she going into such lame detail... but really, there is a point to why I am talking about the oil change) ;-)  We obviously had to take two cars being as though we didn't want to sit around and wait for the Murano to get done.  So, as we were waiting at the stop light to turn into the Nissan dealership BAM! A car accident took place right next to the car Jameson and I were in!!  WOW!  Now it wasn't anything too horrible, but man, that puts a damper on the day!  Yes, I was a good citizen and pulled over to give a statement to the cop...  Although, I felt like I was the one in trouble because the cop made me sit, wait, and give my witness statement IN THE COP CAR!  (ok, maybe I am crazy, but even though I wasn't the one in the accident and/or in trouble, I still felt like I actually was getting scolded and yelled at while I was in that car!!!)

So, after that crazy ordeal, we decided to do a little retail therapy, grab some lunch, and then head home in time for Jameson's afternoon nap.

I had scheduled a babysitter a few weeks ago knowing Matt and Kayla would be here and Luke and I wanted to take them out for an Adults-Only dinner :-)  So, instead of canceling her, Luke and I decided we would head out on a date!  What a GREAT night!  We went downtown Sioux Falls for drinks at a bar called Paramount and then had a very nice and delicious dinner at Minervas.  (Anybody in the area or traveling through has to eat at Minervas!  YUMMY!)  We decided to be responsible adults and called a taxi to take us home.. (again, you ask, "why is she going into so much detail.. but I promise, there truly is a reason).  We were home, in bed, with full tummies by 10pm!  Although it wasn't a late night, it sure was special!  (a big THANK YOU goes out to my wonderful and loving husband for such a fabulous night!  Thanks babe!)

Bring on Sunday...  Again, Jameson decided he did not want to sleep in AT ALL, so again, 5:30am and the Hansen household was wide wake!  (The coffee sure was flowing Sunday morning!)  We headed out in time to make it to 11am mass.  Luke and I decided the night before we would pick up the car AFTER church.  So, mass ended, we head towards DT Sioux Falls only to find out... OUR CAR WAS GONE!!!  Yes, we were towed!  Again, dang winter weather!  (what a damper to a great family weekend)...  Oh well, what can ya do...  They say, when you have lemons... Make lemonade... And that's what we did.  We laughed it off, made a great lunch, took a much needed afternoon nap, and picked up our car (as specifically instructed by the towing company) at 4pm...
**Instructions...You can pick up your car at 4pm ONLY!  Be on time, with $125.00 CASH ONLY!  GREAT...  Lovely...

So, we pick up our car... at 4pm.. with our cash... to find out we also were "lucky" enough to find a $35 TICKET on our windshield...  Boy, what a day!  But again, what can ya do... we laughed it off, had a beer when we got home and snuggled as a family for the evening.

Although our weekend plans were not as we had expected, we really did make the best of it!  I have the BEST family in the world and love spending as much time as possible with my boys :-)

Girls Night Out

What a wonderful weekend!  Jameson and I made the road trip back to my parent's house for a fun filled weekend.  Friday night my mom, Kaylin, Melissa and myself were going to see Miranda Lambert and Saturday we had Jameson's 6 month pictures!

After a very 'snowy' and windy road trip, Jameson and I made it to my parent's house safe and sound.  I was a little nervous traveling in bad weather by myself with an infant, but in the end we made it; it just took us what seemed like FOREVER to get there.

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was for Friday night!  I was excited to see Melissa and Kaylin, see a great concert, spend time with my mom and most of all, have a GIRLS night out!  I couldn't have asked for a better night!  We had so much fun!

We started our night at John's Bar.  KQ98 was hosting a pre-party for the concert and of course giving away backstage passes, ticket, clothing...you name it, they were giving it away.  So, as soon as we walked in the door, we threw our names in the drawing to win backstage passes (they were for Chris Young or Jerrod Niemann - Miranda's openers) 

 John's Bar Pre-Party

Shortly after we put our names in the drawing, it was time for the first drawing.  And of course, guess whose name was called? MY MOM's!  She and another gal had to play rock-paper-scissors (RPS) to see who would get to choose a Chris Young CD first.
**Game Rules - pick one of two CD's.  Open the CD on the count of three and whomever has the "golden ticket" in their CD case would get to meet Chris Young**
So, my mom lost RPS, and had to take whichever CD the other gal did not choose.  So, on the count of three...  1...2...3.. OPEN

You are seeing that correctly... MY MOM WON!  She was going to meet Chris Young! 

L-U-C-K-Y

It was then time to try and win backstage passes to meet Miranda!  Rather than playing the "CD Game" KQ98 decided to play a scavenger hunt game.  (Craziness all around I tell ya!)  Kaylin was lucky enough to be one of the contestants (only 10 got to play and they eliminated one person each round - there were 10 rounds- and the last person "standing" won the pass)

Kaylin did a FANTASTIC job, but unfortunately, she got eliminated in round 7 (after collecting men's pants, a gift card, a Miranda ring tone, camo hat, animal print bra... and so on)  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!



Well, my mom had to leave the bar a little early to head backstage, so Kaylin, Melissa and I stayed and enjoyed a few more cocktails.  We then made our walk over to the La Crosse Center to watch the concert.

Jerrod Niemann was the first to go on...  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  (not to mention, he was pretty good eye candy)

It was then Chris Young's turn to rock the house!  I LOVE Chris Young and he did not disappoint!  He could have played all night and I would have been satisfied!  (Yes, you are seeing that correctly, he is wearing #12!)

Miranda was wonderful!  I have seen her a couple times prior to this concert, but this by far, was the BEST!  She was AWESOME!  She had the crowd out of their seats, singing and dancing for over 2 hours! 

All in all, the night was so much fun!  A HUGE Thank You goes out to Kaylin, Melissa and my mom for such a great time.  We have to do it again sometime REALLY soon!

 



One Last Christmas Celebration

We had one more Christmas celebration this past weekend.  Luke's mom and step-dad made a trip out to Sioux Falls so we could celebrate a late Christmas together. 

Jean and Mark didn't get into town until dinner time Friday night, so Luke and I decided to take them to one of our favorite Sioux Falls restaurants - Bracco's.  We ended up waiting a lot longer for a table than anticipated, but it was worth it because our dinner was delicious (as always!) 

I have been working SO HARD on sleep training with Jameson, so getting home much later than we had originally expected and far past his "normal" bed time made me a little nervous.  He has been doing so well with nap time and calming himself to sleep that I was afraid I had just backtracked all my hard work...  But, to my surprise, Mr. J fell right asleep when we got home.

Saturday morning we celebrated Christmas and played for a while. 

 Grandma Jean and Jameson playing peek-a-boo

We then got everyone ready and set out to bum around Sioux Falls (well until nap time).  Jean and Mark really wanted to see Luke's store, so we made a trip to Target (ps - all the Christmas merchandise went 90% clearance, so it was a great day to make a Target run)  We then decided to head to lunch and by the time we were all full Jameson was ready for his afternoon nap.  Jean and I headed back to the house while the boys decided they wanted to go test drive some cars (Jean and Mark are looking to buy a new car in the near future)

 Jameson wearing Grandpa Gundy's hat

That evening, Jean and Mark were so gracious to watch Jameson for a little while so Luke and I could head out for a little date :-)  It was wonderful!  We ended up just going to dinner, but it was great to get some time alone and have a few great adult conversations!  (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa)

Sunday morning came oh so quickly (as usual) and before we knew it, our weekend together was over.  Luke and I decided we were going to have a relaxing day Sunday, so all three of us stayed in our PJ's, watched TV, played with all the new toys and all snugged together. 

It was a wonderful weekend and thank you Grandma and Grandpa Gunderson for all the wonderful presents! 

Love,

Abby

Low Key

New Year's Eve weekend was absolutely WONDERFUL!  And guess what??  We did NOTHING!  With the craziness of the holidays, Luke's insane work schedule, Jameson's baptism, the entire house hit with the flu and family in town, it was nice to have a weekend off and nothing on the calendar. 

The three of us went out for a very nice lunch on New Year's Eve and bummed around town with a little shopping involved.  Luke and I also made sure we had a bottle of champagne just so we could be in the spirit of New Year's Eve!  haha.  We made sure Jameson's night was his normal routine and once he was in bed, Luke and I watched a few DVR'd shows, checked in with Dick Clark's Rockin New Years celebration and enjoyed our "bubbly".  I have to admit, I didn't even make it to midnight!  haha I figured, it was midnight on the east coast (I fell asleep at 11) so it was ok for me to go to bed.  (someone had to get up with Jameson bright and early and I figured it would be me)

Although we've had a pretty laid back week and a half, I still made a point to take pictures of our always-growing little man! 

**NEWS FLASH**  Mr. Jameson's first tooth has made it's appearance!  It's officially cut through the gums and we have a "teether" on our hands.  I have to say, he's been handling it pretty well.. a few runny noses, rose cheeks and a little crankiness, but nothing we can't handle :-) 

Jameson LOVES bath time! 

He LOVES the water and splashing around in his tub. 

 Clean baby boy!

#1 Badger Fan!

Playing in his jumper

Such a happy boy!

Me and my little man

 Such a tired boy

It sure was nice to have a relaxing New Years and week following, but the time has come, once again, for the craziness to start.  We have some fun weekends ahead of us (filled with family, road trips, a concert, a visit from Kayla and Matt and a vacation for mommy and daddy!)

We wish you all a very happy and blessed 2012

Love,

Abby, Luke and Jameson

Christmas - Round 2

On top of our own family Christmas, my parents and brother were so gracious to road trip out here to Sioux Falls so we could all spend a late Christmas together!  We had the best couple days celebrating the holidays, relaxing, laughing and just hanging out! 

My family didn't get into town until late Monday evening, so we just hung out and did a little catching up.  Tuesday, Luke had to work, so the boys (my dad and brother) decided to head to the casino and while mom, Jaime and I headed to the mall (duh, where else would we go!).  Once Luke was home from work, we celebrated Christmas as a family!  It was SO much fun. 

Best Buds! 

Uncle Adam and Jameson snuggling!

I decided rather than going out for a Christmas dinner, we would make a home-cooked meal so we could spend a little more quality time together.  I also thought it would be fun to start a new family tradition (are you surprised?).  I wrapped up 5 gifts (for the 5 adults), we then drew numbers to see the order in which the gifts were picked, and then throughout the night if you caught someone saying gift, present or Christmas, you were able to steal someone else's gift (if you didn't want to keep the one in your hand).  The catch, there was only ONE "good" gift and the rest were "white elephant" gifts.  You also had to keep your gift wrapped until the designated end time and then we all opened our gifts at once.  Let me tell you, I wish I had a hidden video camera because my mom and brother were going after the same gift most of the night, and in the end, my  mom ended up with the "good gift" (a Target gift card).  We laughed so hard when the gifts were opened because everyone was convinced they had the good one.

This was Jameson's pile of gifts!!  S-P-O-I-L-E-D!

Jameson's first cell phone!

 

The craziness after opening gifts!  (thank heavens Jameson was already in bed)

I would just like to point out (because I don't think you can tell from the picture) but I am wearing my NEW Donald Driver jersey and we are all PROUD owners of the Green Bay Packers!!!!!!!  BEST gifts E-V-E-R! Hands down!  (Thanks Mom and Dad)

Wednesday was a very enjoyable and relaxing day.  The boys (minus Jameson) went to get their hair cut, grabbed lunch, went to a movie and even did a little shopping... Mom, Jameson and I also did a little shopping and relaxed in front of the TV!  Luke had to work Wednesday night, so it was a pretty low key evening.

Unfortunately my dad was blessed with the flu bug when he woke up Thursday morning, so they headed back to Ona a little earlier than expected so he could get some rest and be in his own bed. 

I have to say, this was one of the best Christmas' of all time!  Thank you mom, dad and uncle Adam for making the trip out to see us and for ALL of our WONDERFUL gifts!  We love you tons!

Love,

Abby