Spring 2014

I cannot believe Spring is already coming to an end and summer is almost here! Time flies by so fast!  We have had a lot of fun this Spring.  We got chickens.  We introduced Ivy to the swing set which she very much enjoys.  Jenna can totally swing on her own by pumping her legs.  Jenna LOVES to be on the swings.  She always has, ever since she was a baby.  It is really fun to play outside with the girls.  We have had a lot of lunch time picnics, lots of yard work, played on the swings, ran around with the chickens (Andrew is their mother hen) :). We have been drawing with sidewalk chalk, etc.  It has also been really fun to watch Ivy discover new things all the time.  We have had a fun family Springtime. :) And are excited for Summer as well!

My Darling Girls

I sure love my darling little girls! I LOVE being a stay-at-home mom and spending all day with them.  Jenna is so good at playing pretend.  She is so imaginative.  She likes me and Ivy to play along.  The other day, while I was sorting laundry and making dinner, she was playing ship.  I was the captain, she was a 5 year old on the ship and Ivy was a 3 year old.  She kept coming up with different scenarios and our game lasted about 2 hours.  I am lucky and grateful that she plays around what I am doing so I can still get things done around the house and play at the same time!  Ivy is happy, spunky, fun and smart!  It is so fun to watch her play with things and figure things out.  She thinks Jenna is hilarious and she makes the CUTEST facial expressions. They are so much fun!
Today, I was going downstairs to put the laundry that was in the washer in the dryer.  Ivy wanted to be held, so I was bringing her with me, and Jenna wanted to come too.  Jenna likes taking the clothes out of the washer and putting them into the dryer so I was letting her do it while Ivy and I helped a little.  Jenna wanted to do it in speed motion so she was going really fast and breathing really fast to be funny.  Ivy was laughing so hard! Which of course made Jenna and I laugh as well.  As we were doing laundry together, and I was watching and listening to my girls making each other laugh, I just felt so much joy.  They are SO precious.  This stage in our lives is so precious.  And everything we get to do together is precious.  I LOVE being their mom, and I LOVE staying at home with them.  I am so blessed. I am grateful to recognize the preciousness of these moments as often as I do, rather than letting them pass by and not realizing all of these sweet moments and opportunities until they are far in the past.  I love right now and have been loving 'right now' since I was pregnant with Jenna.  Raising children starts out amazing, and just seems to somehow get even better and better. Don't get me wrong, we have rough moments too.  But overall, so much joy comes with having children.  I am so grateful to the Lord for the Plan of Salvation and the role of families in that plan.  I am so grateful for my forever family!

Love them!

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was so much fun this year!  Jenna had her first Valentine's Day party.  At preschool, they made Valentine's Day bags, played games, decorated and ate heart shaped cookies and exchanged Valentine's they had prepared for each other.  Jenna also made a Valentine's Day picture for Andrew and I with Wendy.  And we had heart shaped eggs in toast for breakfast on Valentine's Day, and heart shaped pancakes for dinner. :)  Andrew and I went on a Valentine's date the day before Valentine's Day.  We went to Pei Wei, Jamba Juice, and then to See's Candies.  I got to pick all of the chocolates I wanted in my 1/2 lb box. Yum! It was so fun! Jenna and Andrew also got me flowers and popcorn. Jenna and I gave Andrew a Costco sized jar of Jelly Bellies, an air plant, and a card.  And we gave Jenna a card and her own mini box of chocolates.  :) And we gave Ivy lots of kisses. :) We love each other and are so grateful for each other!

Jenna wrote her own name and drew the pic of our family

Christmas in San Diego 2013

     Andrew's parents have been called to serve as mission presidents in the Cochabamba, Bolivia mission.  They are selling their house and plan to live in Utah when they come back.  So, we all went down to San Diego for one last Christmas in the house Andrew an his siblings grew up in.  It was a bitter sweet experience.  We had a lot of fun though.  It was a good last Christmas in San Diego.  Sara wasn't there because she is on her mission in Guatemala, we sure missed her!  But we all got to talk to her on the phone on Christmas morning, yay!
     During our grand Christmas vacation, Grandpa Hansen told the kids Magic Teddy Bear stories.  He uses the magic teddy bear stuffed animals and tells stories about him.  The grandkids of all ages love these stories. We got to go to Sea World again.  We went to the beach a couple of times, enjoyed Ruby's diner at the end of the Pier in Oceanside.  The adults played fun board games after the kids went to bed.  Jenna got acquainted with the tree house and loved it!  Christmas eve was a blast as usual with the family Talent show with all of the Willardsons.  Jenna performed her dance from her recital all by herself in front of about 50 people!  She really wanted to do it and was so brave! She did great!  Then, all of the kids of age participated in the Nativity.  Jenna was a sheep. :) And Christmas day was a lot of fun as well!  Ivy slept in my arms a lot because we were always on the go.  And I somehow got to take a nap everyday! All in all, it was a great trip!  We are grateful for Grandma and Grandpa Hansen's wonderful examples, the family they have created, and the moments and memories we enjoy because of them.  They will be wonderful Missionaries, and will bless the lives of many! We will miss the house full of so many memories, but we know that the fun we will have as the Mark & Kathy Hansen family will continue. :)

Sadie, Griffin, Jenna & Makaylee
giving Grandpa hugs

 

Magic teddy bear story, Jenna is the one with wet hair

Model baby

Smiley girl

Andrew and Roxy

On the Pier after the beach and swimming

Jenna climbing the tree house

The famous house

Grandma and Grandpa totally int their elementI love the face Jenna is making

Stockings from Santa

Christmas Eve jammies

Christmas Eve Nativity

Winter before Christmas

Winter has been a lot of fun this year.  Andrew took Jenna sledding and they had a super fun time. Jenna and I played in the snow one blizzardy day while Ivy was napping.  I don't really know how to make a big snowman without the help of other adults so we made mini "snow sisters".  One is Jenna and one is Ivy. :)  Jenna has been taking a dance class and she had her first recital!  She did such a great job!  No stage fright for her! :)  Ivy is growing and growing and super fun and smiley.  We had fun decorating gingerbread men for an FHE activity.  And J got to decorate Christmas tree cookies at Preschool at our house and make a graham cracker train at the Preschool party. Such a fun time of year!

Sometimes they like to lay in bed next to each other during their bedtime songs and stories. They are so cute!

I love waking up to this smiley face every day!

Christmas tree cookies

Gingerbread men! So fun!

Jenna playing dress up :)

Ivy starting solids!

Christmas train!

Snow sisters we built. :)

Cute girls!

Wendy and Jenna at her recital, bouquet from Hughes's

Sledding with Daddy, this is just a pose they went to the park near our house with the bigger hills. :)