Awesome Opossum

Did YOU know there was a blogger app?? I sure didn't.

My life just became exceptionally easier. And yours just got exceptionally more wonderful... Now I can write wherever and whenever I want and that means I get to check in much more often! Easy for me- wonderful for you ;) Doesn't that make you SO happy?? I know it sure does for me. 

I know I say this all the time but so much has happened since I last was able to post. And that was only like.. 3 weeks ago. 

We decided on a fairly last minute random road trip with the Kennedy's! So much for missing an autumn tradition, right? Instead of a pumpkin patch, apple orchard adventure we decided to use up some of Nic's hotel and rental car points for an overnight trip to DC. We had a blast. Seriously. So. Much. Fun.

We drove down Saturday morning and were back by Sunday around noon. The kids did surprisingly well, it was Lottie's first real trip in the car- the only other time she's been in her car seat was for the short drive home from the hospital. And as always, our time with our NYC fam was priceless. We enjoy our time with Tyson and Alee so much more than they'll ever know. It's so great having friends here that are so easy to get along with, that we can share our hearts with, talk freely about Jesus with, adventure and have game nights with, and who love our kids allllmost as much as we do :) We are blessed. 

 

Anyways, DC was a lot of fun. We will definitely need to go back. We barely got a taste of the museums before it was time to leave! Alee had researched some of the must-see items before we went so we wound up in the Museum of American History, gawking at the ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Kermit, the original Flag that inspired the creation of the American flag, and Julia Child's kitchen. Pretty cool.

And as with most autumn adventures with our sweet friends we scored some Christmas card worthy photos..   

I don't have too much more exciting news but Thanksgiving is coming up and I gotta say, I am pretty disappointed with the lack of Thanksgiving decor around town. I hadn't purchased any decorations since we'd initially planned to be out of town this year so I went shopping this past weekend (a week and a half before the holiday!) and there was literally NOTHING besides some paper plates and napkins that had some fall leaves on them. I want a cornucopia, some tiny pumpkins, a "give thanks" banner! I've never known Target to disappoint when it comes to decor buuut this time around I'm left empty handed. Which is pretty sad. I may have to go outside, collect some leaves with Hud and make our own garland! We gotta have something...  

We'll figure it out. Don't you worry! Gotta go. Until next time :)

If Spring has spring then Fall must have… flung?

It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Fall. I mean, really.

For the sake of not being cliche I not going to go into detail about how much I love autumn in the city, or how amazing all the different trees look, or how magical it is to walk through Central Park crunching through the leaves. I won't go on and on about how much I wish it was this time of year all year. Some people love summer, winter, spring… no, no, I am a fall type lady. But I won't get into that. You don't need to know that I have a body that is much better suited for sweaters than bikinis. Tastebuds that are much more keen on pumpkin (sweet and savory) than your standard day to day foods (who am I kidding though- I love some good BBQ, watermelon, fresh spring salads, etc..) And a heart that just soars whenever I get to have a cozy day inside with my kiddies sipping on tea and/or coffee by the candlelight.. Cause we don't have a fireplace. Otherwise it would totally be the fireplace. I'm not going to drown you in overused phrases about how much I love wearing scarves and boots and cardigans. I won't tell you that a hot cup of honey vanilla chamomile tea in the evening is something I look forward to almost every day that the temperatures are below 60. And I will not sing accolades of the wondrous fall time activities like apple picking, pumpkin patch hunting, cider donut eating, corn mazes, etc that just fill my heart with joy. I simply refuse to do that to you.

See what I did there?

Don't get me wrong, though- put a Pumpkin Spice Latte in my face and I will slap it right out of your hands. I have tried, believe me, but I cannot hop on the Pumpkin Spice Latte train.

{Conquered these steps with a friend and our 3 toddlers, 1 babe & 2 strollers... Try getting that experience in any other city! ;) }

We have celebrated 2 birthdays recently! I say recently when in reality its been about a month and a half- but still. It feels recent. Hudson is 2 now and Nic turned 25.. Just amazing, right? Wasn't I finding out I was pregnant with him like.. 2 weeks ago?! Not 2 years?! And Nic?? The somewhat mysterious and hot foreign guitar playing 20 year old I met... Now my husband, father to my children and an executive in NYC? Come on. Haha.. Unreal. We planned some fun things for birthday celebrations but mostly kept it small with our New York family. Hudson had an organized playdate with some of his buddies at Central Park and lots of exciting gifts from us and in the mail. Nic got a weekend full of surprises.. A late-night date night, some presents he was less than expecting, and all of his favorite foods. I am so blessed to be able to bless my boys. I think it is just too fun that we have 2 September boys and 2 July girls. Enough of a pattern for Nic to advocate for us to call it quits with the two kiddos.. Haha. We'll see about that. I can't say I feel all too in control when it comes to how many children we will have, seeing as we didn't exactly "plan" the timing of either of our two children! But who knows. Maybe one day we will get to adopt. That would be just amazing.

{Bedroom full of balloons.. Continued tradition from last year}

{September Birthday Boys out for pizza}

In other news, Hudson has become quite the talker! Ever since right around his birthday his vocab has been growing by leaps and bounds each day. Though he won't prove it to our friends when we put him on the spot. Of course…Haha. It usually goes a little something like this... "Hudson! Who is that? Is that your sister?? What's her name??… *blank stare* Come on.. You know this Hudson.. *blank stare* Hudson? Honey? Wanna sing us your birthday song? Show them how you know the birthday song, baby! *blank stare*… Hey Hudson! Is that a squirrel?? 'You gotta hear how he says squirrel, it's hilarious..'.. Hudson??! Look at that squirrel. Do you see it? What is that?! Can you tell us what that is?? *blank stare*" Whatever, kid. We know you're brilliant.

Can you believe Charlotte is already 3 months old! I know I can't. She tries to sit up on her own, has become very "grabby" and likes to koala just about anything you put within her reach, giggles at her brother, coos and smiles and melts our hearts daily. We have so loved having a sweet daughter to call our own, and can hardly wait to see her personality continue to blossom. It's no lie when people tell you that it goes by too quickly. And how with each kid time it somehow accelerates even more. I don't wanna miss these precious moments!! It's absolutely wonderful, and absolutely devastating all at once.

{Snuggly bunch}

{"Reading" with each other}

We had hoped to have another fun upstate adventure with the Kennedy's this year but it just didn't work out with everyone's busy schedules. Nic traveled HEAPS this month. As soon as he was getting home from one trip he was having to pack another bag to head out somewhere else. This job has definitely been challenging on the "days away from home" front, but there are some perks here and there that help it to feel a little bit less painful. The airline points and hotel points have paid for a few trips of ours already, and the fact that we haven't spent more than probably $50 on clothing for Nic in the past year because of his clothing allowance for work is pretty amazing, not to mention all of the invaluable work experience he is gaining and the pretty incredible people we've become acquainted with. It's been tough but also very rewarding. We feel blessed, to say the least.

 {Love this sweet boy with all my heart}

{Yep, these kids have turned me to mush!! Look at those dimples!!} 

I got "white girl stereotyped" at Central Park a week or so ago. It was pretty funny, and a little bit shocking to say the least. It didn't really even hit me until the lady awkwardly walked away shortly after her comment..  I was talking with a fellow mom playground patron, discussing the age difference between my kiddies and the fact that she wants to wait until her daughter is more like 5-6 before having another babe. No judgment from my end, I said that I thought it was a great amount of time between kids and that it would be awesome for the older sibling to have a bigger part in helping take care of the younger one.. to which she replies, "Well, yeah, I am sure you have a lot of help from your nannies and all but it would just be me at home with the children, so I really do need to wait longer between kids…" Uhhhhh… What?! I laughed at the statement and said, "Oh, well, thats sweet, but it is just me at home- we don't pay for any help. I take care of them on my own.. and my husband helps when he isn't at work, of course!" Annnd for some reason that is beyond me,  the conversation died shortly thereafter. Nic said I had the prime opportunity to use the race card but I didn't take advantage! Maybe I'll just hang out at Central Park more often and wait for another chance…It is bound to happen. People tend to talk out of their asses here. I have had someone ask me if I was my kids nanny. And ask me if they are both from the same dad. And if we got married before or after we had the kids. And if we had planned to have them soooo close together. For some reason it's hard for people out here to wrap their minds around a 24 year old mother of 2, who is married to their father no less. Haha! Oh well. I take it all with a smile and nod. This life may not make sense to some, but I love it. I am blessed. We are blessed! I realize that! I mean, it really is incredible to be able to stay at home to raise our children in a city that requires most families to have a double income. I try my hardest to remember that in the moments that make me wanna kick that friggin remote control truck across the apartment because it somehow ended up under my feet for the 1,000th time today and the loud noise has now waked the baby!!!! Haha. See.. I can laugh now… But in the moment? Yeah. I'm not proud of my behavior.

We've been back and forth trying to make some solid plans for Thanksgiving but have finally settled on staying in the city. I'm actually really looking forward to it. I'd been excited for all the different possibilities we'd been looking at but I think I am most excited with staying here. I mean, really, the city is just so beautiful this time of year. ;)

{See what I mean?}

And it will be fun to see the parade up close and in person again, have a big lunch/dinner with our adopted NYC family, and just relax at home with our little family, having Nic home and not working for almost an entire week? Sounds like heaven to me.

On that note, I've got my little slice of heaven waking from her morning nap. Time to kick it into high gear and stop sitting around. Much love, and God bless, y'all.

Beautiful Lottie Girl

     Well, she's here. Our beautiful, and sweet daughter, Charlotte Rose, graced us with her presence July 24 around noon. Weighing in at a whopping 7lb13oz and 22in long! She is such a beauty and to say we are in love is an understatement.

      We feel immensely blessed and have loved the transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4. Hudson is doing really well with it and has fallen in love with his little "baby" as much as Nic and I have. In fact, a couple mornings ago around 5:30 I woke to Charlotte crying next to me in bed- I roll over to find Hudson had left his bed, climbed into ours and was trying to cuddle with her. It was absolutely heart melting. I know some people are anti-cosleeping and while for the most part I believe it is healthier for the parents if the babes sleep in their own beds, not to mention that everyone sleeps better without being interrupted by everyone else's movements- we do have them in with us from time to time.  I know I will live to desperately miss these cuddles and wish I had enjoyed them more so for now I am soaking them all up as much as I can. And the nay-sayers can just shhhh.

      We have been SO lucky to have had Nic home for the end of July and the better part of August- he has only had to go into work about 5 days, and had minimal at-home work to keep up with up until this past week when he traveled to OKC for their usual round of monthly meetings. We missed out on a lot of the early family time when Hudson was born because of travel and Nic's demanding work schedule so we feel very very blessed to have had him home to get to bond and enjoy these days that seem disappear so quickly. It's been a whirlwind. How is she already 6 weeks old?! Can anyone tell me?

      We got to have Jesse stay with us for the end of my pregnancy (as Nic was out of town for work for the 3 weeks leading up to my due date) and even then to the 5 week postpartum mark. Playing with Hudson, helping around the house, stealing my laptop all day, sleeping on our couch til noon-- you know, the normal 17 year old uncle stuff. It was a lot of fun having him here and I know Hudson already misses him like crazy. The first morning after Jesse left Hudson marched straight to the empty couch and started asking for him... Just too sweet. And I certainly miss having the dishes taken care of every night. Come back whenever you want, Jess! :)

      Anyways, we are loving our daughter, loving our son, loving each other and loving the life that comes with having a newborn and a toddler. Chaotic? Of course. Exhausting? Naturally. Wonderful? More than you will ever know.

People.

People are truly amazing, aren't they?

I am learning this lesson over and over and over again.

Although not always necessarily in the same light hearted way I wish I could communicate.

I've discovered something in myself recently that I find a bit.. disheartening. I feel like I've always been aware of it.. Or at times even made excuses and further dug myself into this way of thinking. I easily find myself frustrated by others. The way they behave, what they think, the way they speak to me or others, the way they choose to express themselves, how slooooowly they walk in front of me,  all the way down to the funky-ass shoes they're wearing. {I mean, did you reaaaally see yourself in the mirror this morning and think to yourself, "This looks really good!"} Judgmental, awful thoughts flood my mind all of the time and it's terrible! I genuinely want to work on it. Or at least be more self aware and try to change my heart towards these people that grind me the wrong way. I know I will never be perfect, and let's face it, there are some extenuating circumstances that totally justify being irritated but... all in all, I need a change. Why? Because.. People are amazing.

While people can easily be frustrating and rub me the wrong way, they are still fascinating. I mean.. Rather than just reverting straight to frustration and wanting to shake them, shouting, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE THIS WAAAAY!!!" I just need to take a step back from the irritating circumstances and think- this is a unique individual. One who has their own convictions and beliefs, a past full of things that have shaped them to being this person, as well as a future that will continue to alter who they are- maybe not drastically but undeniably in some small ways. This person has a very distinct way of thinking, and while it may not line up with mine, it is still their own. The same passion or certainty I feel about certain things may be present in that person but in completely different realms, or on the opposite spectrum of the same subject.

And that is okay. And I am learning more and more every day to just be okay with that.

Lord, help me.

Summertime

Yep.

It's here.

July.

Heat, humidity, thunderstorms, bugs, all the bells and whistles.

Something about this month really screams summer to me.. I don't know if it was the countless summer's of selling fireworks and looking forward to the arrival of July because that would be when people happened to start realizing it was time to buy for the 4th, or because my birthday happens to be this month {ahem... I will be entering my mid-twenties this year and I can't say I am too thrilled about it- I honestly still think I'm 22 when I first respond to people asking my age} or if it's just because this month remains untouched by regular school months, so it's engrained in my head to believe this is IT. The culmination of all I want to have my summer be takes place in July. BBQ's, fireworks, vacations, birthdays, and this year? My baby girl's arrival.

How exciting, right? I can't believe it is already July. As usual the due date {the 21st for those of you not keeping up ;)} doesn't reeeeally mean anything but that doesn't keep my heart from skipping a beat anytime a contraction is a liiiitle stronger and closer to the next than the last one. Nor does it keep people from staring as though it's some feat of nature that I am still able to walk around without clutching someone close and yelling that my water just broke like some ridiculous movie scene. {Which, by the way, is NOT very realistic.} No, I am still very much so looking ahead to the later days of this month with the thought that I will still be pregnant. Baby girl is welcome to arrive whenever, so long as her daddy is present.

Nic is still in Colorado for the Green Box Arts Festival, which means I am home alone until the 19th.

And by home alone, I mean with Hudson.

And by with Hudson, I mean Jesse {Nic's bro}  is also here.

So really I am not alone alone....

What can I say,  it just doesn't quite feel like home until my honey is here.

That being said, I am SO thankful to have our lil' brother here to help with Hudson. He can handle chasing after him on the playground with a little more ease than I can these days. And he eats the food I make, which is more than can be said of Hudson. Haha!

Our trips in June were really quite wonderful, nice and relaxing for the most part! I even managed to get a little suntan going. Legs are still as pale as the moon though.. Not sure how that happens. I think I got the gene from my mom. Dark arms, dark shoulders, dark face, dark thighs... Pale from the knees down. Haha :)  We started out in OKC for about 10 days. During that time MY little brother paid a visit and we went to an awesome water park for Father's Day. Kenneth and Nic conquered every water slide while Hudson and I kept cool between the toddler area and lazy river. Once it was time to leave OKC, we took a drive through OK to Dumas, TX- where we stopped for the night.  Then we drove from Dumas through NM to Colorado Springs where we stayed for a week. Jesse joined us on the 24th and then flew to NYC with Hudson and I on the 28th. I am so glad we got to go but I am also so sad that we had to leave so soon. The festival was finally starting to kick off  when we had to head home.. But that is alright. There will be next summer! And I will be toting 2 kiddies with me then! Crazy!! The flights home were delayed, as usual, which Nic took as a sign that we were supposed to stay. Haha.. If only! Despite the looooong day of travel Hudson did really well. Minimal meltdowns and not too much public humiliation on my end. I swear, this kid has more flights under his belt before the age of 2 than I had by the time I was 22. It's amazing how well he does with travel! I am really really proud of him!! I think it is safe to say, however, that by the time he is taking off on his next flight he will be over the age that he can stay in our laps and we'll have to pay for his teeny butt to occupy the seat between us... Instead of always hoping no one books that seat.

19 days, y'all. Better get ready, my mini me is on her way.

As per usual.

What a whirlwind this life can be, right?

One day you look at the calendar and you have 4 months until your due date and the next thing you know the 6-week countdown is beginning. How is it that this pregnancy has flown by? Just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting Nic's arrival home so I could surprise him with the news!  Up until this past week, where the reeeally uncomfortable stage has begun and I am alternating between self-proclaimed bed rest and guilt inspired outings with Hudson because I feel terrible for keeping him cooped up with me, I have been SO good about not having a preference of when this little girl arrives.  I feel like so many of my issues in labor with Hudson stemmed from all the stress I put on myself to have him by a certain day- with a wedding looming in the near future and family all arriving with the expectation of seeing their new grand baby. This time around there is NO timeline, no event she needs to be evacuated by, NO family's visits or airline return tickets giving me a "need to push by" date. And it feels great. The only pressure there is this time is the intense pressure in my belly and on my hips.. Haha. That may be a little bit of an incentive to try to get her moving along but all in all, I don't care when this baby girl makes her grand entrance earth side. (Just not too soon, of course- she needs all the oven time she can get!) She can come at 37 weeks or 41 weeks or anywhere in between. Ultimately it isn't up to me anyhow- the Lord has her perfect birthday already chosen.

We have been traveling a lot recently and that has kept us super busy! Hudson has become quite the travel pro, he sat down in Nic's lap on one of our flights and immediately started insisting we put the seatbelt on him. And then he pulled the tray table down and started rolling his cars all over it. It was too cute. All this travel has been exhausting! And it's not even over yet. We are still to travel to OKC and Colorado for a couple weeks.

Back in April, Hudson and I ventured to Tucson, AZ for my very best friend in the whole wide world's baby shower for her and her hubby's baby boy! It was only meant to be a weekend trip and after our ridiculous day of travel to get there, complete with delayed planes and missed connections, Southwest allowed us to transfer our ticket to fly home another day. We wound up getting to stay just over a week! It was SO much fun and a much needed visit with my bestie. We took some cute photos of our prego bellies, hung out with her hubby, answered questions they had about having a baby, went to the zoo, ate lots of good foods, did a lot of our usual hanging out and I am just so so thankful for getting to see her. We didn't skip a single beat- it was like we were never apart :)

We went to Boston mid-May for an impromptu visit to see our Grandma and Grandpa Gleason! They were up visiting our Uncle Chris and Auntie Ishtar and their kiddos and we could not pass up the opportunity that they were merely 4 hours away, rather than clear on the other side of the country in Orange County. That was a nice and quick little trip, we cashed in on some of Nic's stored up Marriott rewards and stayed at a really nice hotel in the area. We got to be a part of one of their busy weekends, involving soccer games, birthday party and a farewell dinner for someone in their church- then Sunday we did brunch with the grandparents and headed back home.

The very following Friday we flew to Las Vegas to meet the Hansen family for a bit of a reunion! We got to see Nic's parents and all of his siblings as well as some of Nic's family from New Zealand- they were all in the U.S. to visit {and shop! ;D} and ventured to Vegas to celebrate Auntie Anna's 40th birthday. There was a little bit of sight seeing, shopping and walking the strip but we spent the majority of our time with Nic's parents at their hotel- it was off the strip and had an amazing pool set up. Hudson warmed up to it by the 2nd day :) While the Vegas "scene" isn't really our thing, I mean- honestly- who would be more out of place than a young family with a toddler, and another on the way?- we still really enjoyed our visit. Our first morning at the hotel we made the mistake of calling in a room service order for some breakfast.. It was just ridiculous. We ordered the cheapest things on the menu and then Nic knew I wanted coffee so he ordered a cup for me. Apparently you can't just order one cup of coffee when you're staying at a hotel on the strip. So they gave us their reasonably priced $13 pot of coffee.. Ha. It was so ridiculous. After all the different fees and such the breakfast cost us $60. Just for the 3 of us! Haha! After that we decided to keep our early morning family breakfast business with Denny's. :) Nic left eeeaaaarrly Monday morning to fly to OKC for his usual monthly trips and Hudson and I stayed back to drive home with Tash, Renee and Dad. It was a nice little road trip and when we got there Hudson got to see his new best friend, Ryan. He learned a few of the family members names but hearing him as for Ryan was just about one of the cutest things I've ever heard. "Maaa, where Ryan?!"

We stayed the night there and then went to the airport that next morning to head north for my brother's wedding. We landed in McKinleyville, walked onto the tarmac (teeeeny NorCal airport) and were greeted by my brother Matt, whom we haven't seen since Hudson was 2 weeks old! It was just AWESOME. I miss my family so so much. We stayed at Matt and Bri's house the first couple of nights and then switched to a shared hotel with Kevin and Meryl once they arrived, we also shared a rental car with them. They tried to give us a Fiesta to drive and after just trying to fit the luggage in the back we knew we were going to need to get a bigger vehicle. Ha. It would have been pretty interesting to see how we all fit in the back seat with Hudson's big ol' carseat- and my big ol' belly! We had a few busy days of more family arriving, random outings and hang outs, wedding prep, etc. Even learned about "squatching" from our Uncle Bob! After Nic arrived Friday,  Meryl and I were a little.. bitter, you could say.. about being left to fend for ourselves for an entire day while our husbands joined in on Bachelor Party activities but we eventually got over it :) We had an enjoyable day together and wound up getting to meet my mom and some other ladies for lunch, took Hudson to the park, annnnd not much else. Nic surprised me Saturday morning and got me in for a prenatal massage at the spa that my sister Bri works for! It was amazing. The wedding was lovely, Hudson got to be the ring bearer (even though the day of the rehearsal didn't seem so promising) he stole the show with running and "sliding into home" at the end of the aisle. I am still waiting to find out if anyone got a video of that.. I haven't tracked one down yet but I know there's gotta at least be one..  He is growing up to be such a show off... Gees, I wonder where he gets that from?? ;)

We were meant to fly out Monday morning but upon arriving to the airport came to find that there was a delay, and with that delay we would miss our connection and not wind up making it home to NYC until the eaaaarly hours of the next morning. Trying to do that with a toddler was the last thing we wanted to do so United offered to rebook us for the following morning at no extra charge! We got to meet up with my family for a "lumberjack style" breakfast, where they bring plate after plate, bowl after bowl FULL of things like eggs,  sausages, french toast, biscuits and gravy, OJ and coffee- and they just keep feeding you until you can eat no more. All at the low cost of $11 per person. Or something like that. It was awesome and delicious and I loved it. I think everyone loved it. I mean, come on, who doesn't love breakfast?! (Especially when it doesn't cost $60 and leave you still a little bit hungry. Haha!) Kev and Meryl left in the afternoon and the rest of us stayed at Matt and Bri's for some relaxing time.. and a board game, of course. Because that's what Mullaney's do. :) Matt took us to the airport the very next morning (at 4am, mind you- he is a saint) and we had a really good day of travel. The flight from SanFran to NYC was nearly 6 hours and Hudson was a rockstar. Only a few little mad moments but beyond that was great!

Since being home the madness has not stopped or even slowed, really- we have had lots going on, doctor's appointments, friends over for dinners, outings around the city, a baby shower thrown for us by our wonderful friends and most recently I've been stuck in bed with some pretty rough symptoms- some pregnancy related- some not. We're meant to leave for OKC tomorrow and I am growing a little worried that my doctor won't clear me for travel. But as Nic reminds me on a regular basis- everything ALWAYS works out. No matter what the outcome, trust that it what the Lord intended.

I think that should just about catch ya up on what's been going on with my lovely little family. I'll try to check in a couple more times before baby girl arrives.

Cheers, y'all. Much love.

That Time Of The Month

To update you, I mean.

Since I apparently lack the skills to keep a more regular posting coming your way. :)

As usual, things have been a whirlwind in the Hansen household. We bought a couch, then when the couch couldn't fit we returned a couch (Remember the good story from back when we moved here? The one with the hacksaw?? Well.. This time we decided to let the professionals handle it and not even they could make it work. Le sigh.), then searched and searched online for another solution to our living room seating/sleeping needs but found none that fit the price, the size, nor the standards we wanted... Soooo we just bought a cheap futon from Target that came in pieces for Nic to put together. Needless to say- I highly doubt this thing will be a part of our  home more than a year or two (if it will even last  that long) but until we move to a new apartment there is just NO way we can make a regular sleeper couch fit through our door. So to all who may come to stay with us, I apologize in advance for the back ache you are almost sure to leave with. Haha!

In crazy-awesome news, Nic had his Heller Myotomy surgery last week! It is amazing how quickly everything came together. After the disappointment of having to cancel the KC surgery back in September when we moved here we sorta waited on getting the ball rolling here in NYC. Not for any other reason than just not being sure where to start. After the start of the year, Nic decided it was time to start looking into a solution again. Since the last week of January or so he had been going to went a general practitioner for occasional check-ups so he could send a reference and we could get into a specialist. That appointment got set for April 2, so all we had left to do was wait! Nic went to his appointment with that GI doctor and Nic described the symptoms, the diagnosis, all the nitty gritty details and that was the end of it. The doctor didn't really have much to say, nor did he seem to offer much help- which was pretty disappointing but we knew there would be a solution down the road if we kept going to see this guy! The very next day Nic gets a phone call from this doctor during our dinner at the Kennedy's house- he went on to tell Nic that he just couldn't get Nic's situation off his mind, he wanted to expedite the process and get him into a surgeon immediately- as in that Friday (2 days later)! We were amazed and thankful that this gentleman, who just the day before seemed so uninterested, was so quick and willing to help! Nic goes in on Friday to meet with the surgeon, Dr. Camancha. He had a look at Nic's records and assured him that he would not have to suffer much longer. He cleared his surgery schedule for the very next Tuesday and asked Nic if he thought he could take time off of work to get this done. Nic called CK and got the approval for time off and before we knew it we were following the pre-surgery doctors orders of soup broth and water. Within ONE WEEK. One Tuesday to the next, my husband received incredible care. Amazing!! He is still very much recovering (it hasn't even been a week since the surgery) but we are both so optimistic about the outcome. His current diet is not one to be envied but it is all a part of the healing process-- he will be back to eating full meals in no time. We can't wait to see how this changes his life. God is SO good! We are just still in awe of how quickly the Lord moved the situation along. I don't care who you are, you cannot tell me this wasn't favor from the Lord!

Pre-surgery; pumped for the anesthesia ;)

Post-surgery; recovering in the hospital.. Looking like a cute old man propped up by the window :)

And the labroscopic incisions in his belly.. Staples. Eesh.

Spring is creeeeeeping into NYC. We keep having incredibly warm and pleasant days followed by the freezing cold and wind and rain again. Such a tease, Spring. Such. A. Tease. Some trees are starting to blossom though, which is just lovely. 

See what I mean? Just beautiful.

Nic got Hudson his first bike! And though he hasn't picked up on it perfectly yet, it is awfully cute to see him trying. We took a family walk over to Randall's Island last weekend and Nic brought along the bike to see how he'd do on pavement instead of our living room.. He LOVED it! He of course, needed to take it off road every chance he had. This little boy is so much like his daddy.. It just melts my heart :)

I just love my boys!

I do believe that is all for now. I can think of ton's more to add but I think Hudson will be waking from his nap soon and I have a few things around the house I'd like to wrap up before the madness of chasing my little guy around begins again.  I'll check back in again next month ;)

Cars Toons, Pumpkin Muffins and Pink Little Bows.

The time has come.

It is once again time that I sit down, have my morning cup of delicious and tell you tales of all the things that make this life great. Time to relax, rub my belly, and turn on a movie to keep Hudson occupied.

What was that? I let my toddler watch TV?!

Yes. Yes, I do. And no, his brain is not turning to mush.

Anyways, I do believe the last time I checked in I was sporting a teeny little baby bump that rivaled that of a skinny girl who claims to be "fat" and then pushes out what little bit of belly there is.. But these days I most certainly have a belly. And that sucker cannot be sucked in. Nor can it be contained in my zip up hoodie. Truly unfortunate considering the fact that Winter has decided to stick around MUCH longer than anyone could have desired. Global warming? I don't buy it. Climate change? Okay, maybe. And I realize they're one in the same but I just can't get on board with anyone saying things are getting "warmer" around here. Call me crazy but I tend to remember Spring Break usually happening around March time.. and up until about 5 years ago I remember those breaks from school being t-shirt and flip-flop worthy. BUT! Returning to the real topic at hand....Ah yes. Big fat prego belly! (Okay, normal sized prego belly.) Check this baby out!

Took this on Monday.. So as you can imagine, not much has changed. Except for maybe the fact that I have since showered :)

As for the Pumkin Muffins reference in my title, I am somewhat happy that the cold weather has stuck around because this means I can feel NO shame in baking pumkiny things. Like muffins. Or banana pumpkin bread. I just adore baked goods made with pumpkin- I don't know what it is about the flavor but I just can't get enough! Such a constant addiction to having pumpkin things in my home (even though my husband won't join in on the action.. leaving me to eat the entire loaf alone or find neighbors and friends who don't mind partaking in such an autumny treat!)  moved my dear friend Jenny to ask me to teach her how to make the Banana Pumpkin bread I'd shared with her. They don't really make these sorts of things in Germany, nor do they make anything along the lines of Sweet Potato Casserole. She had some of that back I made it for Thanksgiving and we decided to just make an evening of it! We had a blast making and baking sweet things. And my goodness, it felt like Fall had arrived all over again. Delicious!

We found out a few short weeks ago that we will be needing to clear some space... and by some I mean ALOT. Why? Well this little wriggle worm in my belly is sporting an already dramatic hand resting above the eyebrow look, and will soon be gracing us with HER presence and all the many many things that come along with her arrival. Oh, my heart. I am so excited to be able to say that we are having a girl!!! Her name is still undecided- but I feel like we will know when we see her. Until then we are happy to call her baby girl.. and even occasionally by the name we had picked out before we found out what she would be. Something about it tho- once we knew for sure that she was indeed a she- we just can't commit to a name. Haha. Oh well! As I said, I am sure once we see that precious little face we will know.

In Due Time.

Let's see... I haven't made it on since before Thanksgiving, right?

My, my! The things you all have missed out on!

Not to worry though, I will update you in the best way I know how.. with my words :)

{November:}

Not too long after my last post Nic went on his usual monthly business trip to OKC annnd I began suspecting that there might be a little someone beginning to make his/herself comfortable for a 9 month long stay.. It took every ounce of my will power to wait for a reasonable time to take an at home test (okay..2) and I lasted until the day before Nic was to come home.... And well... There they were. 2 big fat pink plus signs. Yes indeedio- Hansen babe #2 is arriving sometime in July!! SO.. I had to decide whether to tell Nic over the phone or try to surprise him in some cute way.. and although I could barely contain myself I decided on the latter. Hudson and I ventured to Target to find a "big brother" type shirt and my first round of Ginger Ale. I put some cute pictures on the little chalk board we write love notes on, spelled out "We are prego," with Hudson's Alphabet Magnets on the fridge, and left the positive tests in a very conspicuous place. Just waiting for his arrival and curious to know which hint he would notice first.. Nearly needless to say-- I couldn't hardly give him enough time to make it through the front door before guhisng-- "DID YOU SEE HUDSON'S NEW SHIRT??!!!" *Big cheesy grin.* And he did.. then just looked at me mystified-- "You're prego?!?!" My smile must have been the giveaway because I hardly had time to say, "YES!" before he hoisted me up into a bear hug and swung me around the kitchen. I'd think it's safe to say he's pretty excited as well. We have spent the weeks since finding out just dreaming up what this new life with 2 babies will be like.  My parents came to town soon after for Thanksgiving, which was just lovely! We decided to tell them even though I was only about 5 weeks along. We went with the cute "Brother" themed shirt for Hudson again and it took them ages  to put the two and two together.. They both claimed it was because they knew we had been given a lot of Ryan's hand-me-downs so they just assumed it was from that. BUT, of course, once they figured it out they were full of smiles and excitement as well. We have been met with nothing but support and excitement since the day we found out and we just could not be happier!! Poor wee Hudson and my mom managed to catch a cold in the middle of their stay which stuck us indoors for a few days but the AppleTV gifted to us by my parents made the days go by much quicker. We adventured around the city during the remainder of their stay and tried to take in as many sights as possible! 

Surpriiiiise!! Due July 23!

Our First Official NYC Visitors

Bad quality photo.. but fun memory! Thanksgiving Spread with my parents, the Kennedy's and Jenny!

{December:} 

We had fun dreaming up cute ways to tell the rest of our families and decided on waiting until we were in Cali to share with the Hansen's and that we would send silly notes for the Mullaney's along with their Christmas gifts. Nic had an idea to send H and I for a surprise early arrival to California since he'd be spending a week in OKC. So H and I made our way out to the West Coast on the 15th and gave about 1/2 the family a nice surprise (Mum knew, Tash figured it out and Ryan came along for the pick-up at the airport..) Nic arrived about a week later! Which is when we broke the fantastic news using a homemade shirt for wee man. Based from an idea I saw on Pinterest, naturally! Don't even get me started on the difficult task of concealing early pregnancy symptoms amidst a HUGE family and my Father-in-law constantly dropping, "So you're pregnant?!" jokes.... Haha. While we were there Hudson caught a ridiculous stomach bug on Christmas Eve someone had brought to church the day before.. Everyone in the family but Mark, Tash and Ryan caught some form of it! It was just miserable.. I think lil guy had it the worst and for the longest amount of time but regardless- it sucked. And seeing my lil guy so sick was absolutely heartbreaking!! Once he felt better he had lots of fun playing with his aunties and uncles and on the dirt bikes, quad and go-karts. Such an awesome trip!

Hudson wouldn't leave Nic's side once he arrived in CA.. Too cute. These two are best buds.

See? Best of friends. Doing stupid things together. 

Hudsy and his Auntie :)

Awesome.

Love our littlefam

{January:}

A wonderful and busy time... After arriving home from Cali we settled back into our normal lives rather quickly. And were thankful to be back in our own space. We finally got to take our friend George to Arthur Ave (accordingly the real Little Italy of NYC) in the Bronx for a fun day of Genuine Italian feast and fare. We bought tons of fresh pasta and fresh cheeses and sausages. Just scrumptious! George treated us to some delicious pastries and a fantastic family style Italian lunch (all so wonderful for this prego) and now Nic wants to go back every single weekend. Haha.. We had a fun adventure with Tyson and Alee to see the train "display" at Grand Central... we all expected something a little more grandiose than what we experienced but it was still cool nonetheless! It's a long story that I won't get into (what??!) but we made plans for a somewhat last minute trip to KC. Ultimately 2 days before we were meant to leave the very issue we were going for was resolved. Thank you, Jesus! So we just got to enjoy a nice little long weekend in our old home.. Staying in one of the fancy hotel's Nic worked for, visiting as many friends as possible and eating as much of our favorite foods our tummies could handle. It was great! It really made me miss all our friends.. but it was a nice reminder that we are in the right place. NYC is our new home and we love it.

Kelly and Salem at breakfast in KC (up top) Hiding behind the curtain's at the Sorge's (just above) 

Our little pro travel buddy..

Home, Sweet Home

Which brings me to.....

{February:}
We are almost halfway through this month and we have already had so many fun things happen.. And some not-so-fun unfortunately. Poor Hudson has been plagued with this awful cold that just won't go away since we came home from KC. He's had high fevers, fever free days and then more fevers. It has been such a strange thing to get used to.. Hudson spent his first year of life totally healthy (aside from colic and milk allergy issues.. I don't think they really count) and since moving to NYC he has seemingly had one cold/cough after the other! Please be praying for his little immune system to get used to this filthy city. Last week Nic and Tyson ventured to Jersey to see a hockey game and I had Alee, Jenny and Jill over for what was meant to be a movie night but we wound up talking instead. (Shocker, right?! haha) This past weekend Nic gave me some freedom from the sick toddler to go have some cupcakes and play games Greenwich Village and then we all met to make homemade pizza's at Tyson and Alee's apartment! 

I am 17 weeks today and we are sure to be finding out soon whether we will be buying pink or pulling out Hudson's old stuff! Squeeee! I can't hardly wait. The deal is that if I have the ultrasound while Nic is out of town I can ask them to conceal the gender in an envelope and we can have a party when he returns.. Heh. [Otherwise we will just find out right then and there] Who would have ever thought that "gender reveal" parties would be such a huge trend in the 2010's??

Teeny Baby Bump @ 17 weeks. Not too shabby for 2nd time around!

Much love to you all and God Bless!