Feelin' like a lucky girl

Things have been a little hectic with life this last couple weeks. Or really you could say this last couple of MONTHS! Things should start slowing down for a minute & today is the first day that I can even remember that I don't have something scheduled or something I am crazy busy with and having to get done. Well, besides cleaning and doing laundry since those things have been somewhat neglected amidst the chaos and my house is a total wreck- - but I'm not stressing over that today. We'll leave that to tomorrow. I felt like such a lucky girl waking up this morning and knowing that I had nothing on the agenda. And to top it off, I woke up to this beautiful bouquet: with an attached giftcard and sweet note from my husband saying that I have a facial scheduled for me today at 4:15!

HOW SWEET IS THAT?!

I really am a lucky girl.

THANKS HONEY! You're the best. :)

I've had several facials done at this spa before and it was seriously one of the most relaxing things I've ever experienced!
Hope you're having a good day, too!

Welcome Home Zach!

Yesterday, Chris' youngest brother, Zach, got home from serving his 2 year mission in North Carolina (Spanish speaking!). We were all so excited to meet him at the airport...Oh the anticipation!HOORAY!!!Parker was just a month older than Emmie (9 months) when Elder Hansen left, so we were sooooo excited for Parker to be reunited with Zach as Parker just adores all of his uncles and we knew he'd love this one, too! Then again, it'd be really hard not to love Zach! He's truly one of the kindest guys you'll ever meet. His big grin is purely genuine!Parker and Uncle Zach, already having fun together!

Chris and his siblings, minus Eric (who lives in Texas).

The missionary with his adorable Grandma and Grandpa LonczynaWELCOME HOME ZACH!

We are so proud of your service this past two years and can't wait to catch up on all that has transpired in the time that you've been gone!

And the fun events don't stop here.... Bethany and Brett (above left) are getting married a week from Saturday! It's an exciting, busy time to be a Hansen!

Goodbye sleep and get on your running shoes, Emmie is in the house!

SHhhhhh.......

Do you hear that? Ahhhh. It's almost hard to even recognize these days....yes, that's right.

It's PEACE AND QUIET!

You better read fast because who knows how long it will last....!

Sheesh. I'm exhausted. I feel like this last few months have been so crazy busy, I haven't had a moment to sit down - let alone think. You may recognize that I've had a little lull in blogging lately...Why is that, you ask? (I know you're really not wondering, or even caring - I just have to pretend that you do to make myself feel better about life ;))

Well, it's been in large part due to this sweet little face: Yes, our sweet little angel Emmie, who hardly made a peep in her first six months of life, has really become quite - how should I say this - BUSY? SPIRITED? SUPER QUICK BUT CLUMSY? ACCIDENT PRONE BECAUSE SHE'S TRYING TO DO WAY TOO MUCH WAY TOO EARLY? NO LONGER MY INCREDIBLE SLEEPER THAT I COULD JUST LAY DOWN AND SHE'D FALL ASLEEP?... Yeah, basically all of those things and more but I can't come up with one word to combine it all.

So basically, to sum it up, my baby is growing up. *SIGH* Yes, I knew it was inevitable but I just didn't expect the mobility part to onset quite so early.

The main milestones that have brought about these changes???

Two things: 1)TEETHING. It happened right at six months. Her two bottom middle teeth sprouted through & since then the girl has only slept through the night a couple of times, and it takes a lot of work to get her to sleep. The hardest part is that she screams now when putting her down, which keeps up Parker, or vice versa, which has made the bedtime routine last up to 2 and a half hours which is really no fun. That right there has eliminated any small 'blog' time that I used to be able to squeeze in. My fingers are crossed that this 'phase' will change back over quickly...

2) HER LIGHTNING CRAWLING PACE mixed with her awfully early attempts at being an acrobat keeps me from cleaning, cooking, sitting, eating, using the bathroom, etc. for more than about three seconds at a time. She gets from here to there in a flash and has definitely been working her tail off to let her presence be known in this family for the last 8 weeks or so. In turn I have been running ragged to keep up with this precious and not so "quiet" anymore baby girl, all the while trying to keep my animated, somewhat demanding little Parker entertained. Anyone with a mobile infant knows what I am talking about. How about using an exersaucer or a bouncer, etc. to contain her? Those don't satisfy her for long at all. This girl wants to MOVE! OR be held. That works too, but it keeps me from the three seconds of 'free' time to get anything somewhat accomplished.

The Stink Bug is already pulling herself to a standing position...much to my dismay. 7 months is WAY too early for this if you ask me. I am definitely not one of those moms who thinks that having an early walker means that my child is destined for Harvard...I just think early mobility sets them up for a lot more accidents. And it has... she's already got a scar on her elbow from falling and I think she's bumped her head more in her 7 months than Parker has in his 2 1/2 years. There is plenty of time for the awkward frankenstein walk later. So I am hoping she is satisfied with just pulling herself up for at least 5 months or so. :)
Oh, and so much for the Bumbo chair... she gets herself out of it! This is partly where her acrobatic skills have come in handy for her.
Onto some of her other skills...
She's getting more used to baby food and cereal although I wouldn't say she loves it yet, she DOES love these dissolvable rice crackers for babies called "Mum Mums" that my sweet friend Karen introduced us to. She has also started saying "Da da".

Despite her hurry to grow up on us, one thing that has stayed the same is that she's still a total sweetheart. We LOVE having this baby girl in our family! She is all smiles (unless I put her in her crib), ADORES her big brother with whom she LOVES to share bathtime with, has an insatiable hunger and radar for paper, wants to be in on the action at all times, already has a teasing sense of humor, still has a crazy (& I mean crazy) calic in the front of her hair, has the cutest dimpled chubby cheeks you'll ever see, and has the most precious countenance (mixed with a bit of impatience these days, but who isn't at fault for that once in a while?).
She is so much fun - just like her brother - even though some days the pair of them completely wear Chris and I out.
But... that's what parenthood entails... and that's partly why I love blogging... because so many of us are in the midst of this crazy, busy fulfilling time of life. We can understand and relate with each other's experiences, all the while recording our own moments so that we can still cherish them in years to come, when our memories are a little faded and our brains are completely fried due to this role called
MOMMYHOOD. :)

If you actually read that entire post - BLESS YOU! And thanks for tuning in to my ridiculously long posts. :) If you did not, I don't blame you!

Easter. What else?

Oh how I love Easter. We had an exciting, busy, fun-filled Sunday. Here is our morning just prior to church....Parker's highlight? Besides the egg hunts, his primary concern for the day was each and every piece of chocolate he found in each plastic egg. He carefully put them into a pile as he opened each egg, while the egg hunts were in progress. Forget the jellybeans, not interested. This little man is all about the chocolate. What about all of the fun presents he got from Grandmas and Grandpas and in his baskets? Even they weren't even as cool as the chocolates. (aka Reeses PB cups and Hershey's kisses and chocolate eggs)

Emmie's highlight? The paper grass in her basket. Her favorite thing to play with and attempt to eat these days is PAPER. She bypasses any toys and will find any magazine, wrapper, or stray piece of paper she can possibly find to put in her mouth. Yes, I have found pieces of the Ensign magazine in her poopy diapers. What a lovely surprise, I know.

Onto Sunday afternoon........

My sweet Grandma on my Dad's side- Mimi (middle pic)- has a huge Easter egg hunt every Easter in her home. She hides over a hundred plastic eggs filled with treats and even money. Whatever lucky soul finds the big, bonus, gold egg, walks away with big money in his pocket. She also always finds the cutest gifts (along with my Dad) to fill up our baskets with. To say we have been spoiled by she and my Dad on Easter over the years is an understatement. They always go the extra mile to make holidays special!

Easter at the Hansens... yet another fun egg hunt, a (very!) delicious dinner and lots of attention for Parker and Emmie from adoring aunts and uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and Great Gpa and Gma. It is always a fun party at the Hansens and Parker just basks in all of the attention. We'll see how this first grandchild thing shapes him over the years. :)

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING IT YET ANOTHER GREAT EASTER!
P.S. Since Sunday Chris and I have gone on at least another 7 or so egg hunts set up by Parker in our very own family room! Hiding the eggs and having us find them is one of his favorite pasttimes. He sachets around the room and helps us out by saying "Oh! Oh! Here's one! Here's one!" He had teams of people helping HIM find the eggs on Easter, so I guess he's just returning the favor. I just love my Little Parker.


T

A quick getaway

The kids and I headed South for St. George last Saturday to visit my Mom and Stepdad. Chris met up with us halfway through.

Here's a little recap of our trip...Chris was excited to show Parker how to fly a kite, but it was a little TOO windy, so we didn't last long at the park.

Parker encountered a lizard in the backyard, screamed, "Mouse!", and started crying. Reed had to educate him on the reptile he had spotted, and once he learned that they weren't going to attack him, he started hunting for them.

We checked out the pool at the community center, and even went on a little easter egg hunt in the backyard.

An added bonus? We were able to avoid 25 degrees & a snow storm in Salt Lake!

We went to this Pirate's Island restaurant one night. It was really cute and a lot of fun. Parker was entertained playing the arcade games (okay, we all were!). Parker helping Grandma Jane in the kitchen on a step stool, and Emmie just happy to hang out, as usual.

Parker was in Dog Heaven...I dare say that the dogs were NOT! Trying to dodge my 2 1/2 year old the entire time, they were on their toes. There were FOUR of them! Our Roxy came with us, plus their three. CRAZY! But not as crazy as I expected. They are good little dogs.

Parker was endlessly entertained going in and out of the doggy door, which leads into the master bedroom closet.

Oh, the thrills of a 2 year old.......

And one of the greatest parts? The Childrens Place outlet store! I got FIVE of these items for only $1.99 each, and the other two for $2.99! My kids will fit into them next Fall and winter. I got them all for under $20, and had I paid full price they would have been almost $100!
Now that is what I call a bargain!
Yes, in case you were wondering, I absolutely pride myself in & LOVE finding a great deal! :)

THANKS Mom and Reed for letting us come and visit!
Parker is already asking to go back.