Baseball

 Watching Daddy in the field.  Both of the boys adore their dad and love watching baseball.

 If he could've gotten closer to the game, he would've.

Running the bases after the game - the boys love doing that with Luke!

Last summer we were extremely busy with Luke playing baseball.  He had games every Thursday or Friday and then every Sunday.  It wasn't so bad because we had Christie and the kids there so it made the time go faster but it still could be long because we'd have to sit forever in the heat and neither one of the baseball fields had girl bathrooms open! (That was worse for Christie because she was 9 months pregnant).  Luke was planning on playing this year but just hasn't had the energy to play so he's only played in a few games.  We finally took the kids to one and Jackson loved watching his Dad play ball.  He had to wear his "baseball shirt" (the Lions jersey that is the same color blue as Luke's shirt) and his baseball shorts, shoes and socks (don't ask me why he claims all of those things are specifically for baseball ... the kid has a creative mind).  Anyways,  it was fun watching him play and the boys were in awe of Dad as he took the field.  I honestly think that they probably watched more of the game than I did.

Looks like we'll be seeing more of this color......

Our first baby present - from Aunt Diane!

Last week Thursday we had the ultrasound to check up on Baby Hansen.  I don't know why but I was really anxious to see that everything was okay this time.  We also had discussed finding out the gender of the baby.   We didn't find out with the boys and I loved that moment when they came out and we discovered they were boys.  There's something about hearing that right at that emotional time.  However, this time knowing that I have two very active boys and will be busy with school I really wanted to find out.  Luke was on the fence but let me decide at the last moment.  As we went through all the pictures, I was amazed at this little being growing inside of me.  At the very end, Lori (our ultrasound tech) very clearly showed us that the little one we had inside was not modest at all.  It's legs were spread right open and showed girls parts.  I was shocked... beyond shocked!  Everything has been right on with the boys from the heart rate to the changes my body went through and how I am carrying.  We even had a name picked out for a boy already!  Of course we're both thrilled but more so that everything looks healthy.  It took us awhile to get over the shock and then when we told Jackson he was not thrilled with the idea of a sister at first but we reminded him that in the Berenstein Bear books there is a "sister bear" and now he'll have a sister just like that.  He's not pretty excited saying that he's going to have a sister (although I know he'd be just as thrilled to say it was a boy).  More than anything else, we just are amazed that there's a healthy baby growing inside and we just pray that she continues growing healthy.  And I have to admit, I am excited for the moment when she arrives and I get confirmation that it is a girl (as I'm still a bit skeptical) and I can't wait to see what she looks like.   

Camping with the Edings

 Playing with trucks.

 Playing on the golf cart - one of Brendan's favorite things to do.

This post is a bit late but I had to post it because it'll be one of the few camping trips this year.  I had wanted to camp more but it sure is hard with a 19 month old.  We did manage to get out to Sandy Pines with the Edings and it was so wonderful having kids for the boys to play with.  Breanna was the perfect little babysitter for Brendan and Jackson sure loves the two boys.  The weather was perfect while we were out there - believe it or not we could wear sweatshirts at night by the campfire. 

Zoo Day

Last week we went to the zoo with the Sloothaaks.  We weren't so excited about the weather in the morning, it was kind of drizzling and cloudy.  However, the kids were so anxious to go that we knew we couldn't cancel.  And good thing we didn't!  We got to the zoo about 9:30am and were one of the first cars there!  Then we practically had the zoo to ourselves and the animals were super active since the weather wasn't so terribly hot.  We even got to see the lions as they were right next to the windows (how often does that happen?!).  All in all it was such a fun day and it was even better because the kids are becoming more interactive with each other.  Thanks for a great morning Sloothaaks!

Happy Birthday Jackson!

A little late but I had to get some pictures of Jackson on his birthday.  We celebrated with the Hansen's on his actual birthday.  I was a little worried that we'd have to cancel because he had some problems with his asthma the day before but he was doing okay on his birthday and I know how much he was looking forward to having his cousins over.  This time we made a dirt cake with "worms" in it (per Jackson's request).  As I tucked Jackson in at night I told him that he has to stop getting older and his response, with an extra big gring, was "Mom, I'm NEVER going to stop having birthdays."  As much as I love seeing him change each year I can't help but think how quickly time in going and how precious this time with him is.  He's such a joy in our lives!

Fun with Cousins

We had Lauryn and Evan over for part of the week and the boys had a blast with their cousins.  The first day they were here, all 4 kids were going upstairs, then downstairs, then outside, and then where ever else they could run.  It was great to see them playing so well together and I kept wishing that if only I had a fourth of their energy, I'd be able to get so much more done during the day!  The little boys wanted to do everything that Jackson and Lauryn did but we didn't really have fighting between the kids.  Having cousins as friends certainly is priceless and I wish that I had taken more pictures of them playing together.

Happy 60th Dad!

We pulled it off - a surprise party for my dad's 6oth birthday!  Sara and I had started talking about this awhile back but as soon as Eric came on board we really set the wheels in motion for planning this (Eric was the mastermind of getting Dad out of the house and then getting him back).  If you know my dad, you know that he loves being around people so this was right up his alley.  In the weeks prior to the party he kept talking about how he was going to be 60 and wouldn't let us forget that it was a big birthday for him.  Little did he know that we had been planning the party.  And it was a complete surprise to him!  When he walked in the door, we was speechless and kind of stood in the doorway for awhile not knowing what to say or do.  It awesome to see that as we don't left see him that way.  Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!!!