Swimming Lessons

 Cameron, Trey and Jackson - after their last day of swimming.

 Jill was such a good mom and got pictures and video of Trey swimming (Jill I told Brooke that I had to put this one on the blog!)

Jackson's favorite part - jumping off the diving board!

For the last two weeks, Jackson and his buddies Trey and Cameron had swimming lessons every day for about 45 minutes.  Thankfully for him it was some super hot days but not so great for us Moms and other kids!  It was amazingly hot (but I know that I will look back at this heat with longing come February).  It was so fun to see the boys improve on their swimming skills over the 8 days.  Jackson loved going to his lessons which was a relief for me.  When I was younger I absolutely dreaded swimming lessons and would often cry the entire time.  My favorite part of watching him though was when he would do something and then look at me and give me a thumbs up.  He was so proud of himself and all that he learned (which came in perfect for our camping weekend - to be posted soon!).

Ottawa County Fair

 Best Buddies - these two are inseperable when they're together!

 I love that face - he's so happy to see all the animals!

 Grandpa and his boys

 How hilarious is this picture?!  Easton is so comfortable with animals - I think that farming is definitely in his future.

Yesterday we took our annual trip to the fair.  My dad has always liked to go but it wasn't until I had Jackson that I actually went with him (and now I know why as my allergies totally flared up while I was there! - guess I'm not meant to be around all that hay!).  This year we took my mom and Luke along with us and the 2 youngest grandsons.  It was amazing to see how the boys interactions have changed since that first time at the fair.  When we first went, Jackson was very hesitant and just kind of watched the animals, this year he and Cohen were leading the way to see all of the animals.  Of course Brendan absolutely LOVED seeing the animals and kept pointing at them and he made sure to look at each and every one (he really is so much like my dad!).  Afterwards we took the boys to the rides and again they had a blast.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  Jackson was exhausted as he had swimming lessons in the morning, then the fair and then at night had VBS at Haven Reformed.  He was one busy boy but definitely enjoys all the fun stuff too!

Big Boy Bed

We finally did it - we got Brendan into his race car bed!  About a month ago we bought the bed and tried it for one nap time but discovered he thought it was a toy and not a bed.  We decided that since we were staying around for the weekend we would attempt it again.  The first day was super easy because he was exhausted by the time we put him to bed so he fell right asleep.  Day 2 wasn't as easy but after putting the gate in his doorway he discovered he had to stay in bed and eventually fell asleep.  So far it hasn't affected his nap length or length of time he sleeps at night so we are keeping our fingers crossed that he continues being out good little sleeper but at least now I can kiss him goodnight when he's fast asleep (the low mattress in the crib was killing me!) and my little guy looks like such a big boy now!

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!