The Hansen Family

October Hansen Happenings

2011-11-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Even though we are most of the way through November already, I thought I would give a recap of the Hansen Family October. I can NOT keep up with this year!

We took a trip to Bill's Berry Farm in Grandview to pick out our family pumpkins, eat far too many homemade pumpkin donuts and play in the hay bales.

We seriously annoyed our brother, prompting him to say "Cole is driving me CRAZY".

We raked up what felt like endless amounts of leaves. Everyday, the boys and I hung out outside cleaning up the driveway to burn off some energy. The boys had extra energy, not me.

We looked like a serious rock star on our bike.

We thoroughly enjoyed Halloween this year. We ate far too much candy, went trick or treating around the neighborhood and our favorite part of the Trunk or Treat we went to was the goat on the back of a truck.

After all the festivities, we ate a very healthy dinner of Lay's potato chips and tormented the cat.

We celebrated Dad's serious pumpkin-carving skills.

We just plain ran around. All day long. Smiling ear to ear.

We learned that Mom sings around the house more than she'd like to admit. Either that or Gabe is secretly listening to Maroon 5 at night while he's supposed to be sleeping.

Gabe's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Gabe's 3rd birthday! Grandma and Grandpa Wargo "bought" a fabulous pool party at the Dollars for Scholars auction in Lacrosse, put on by some fabulous Lacrosse folks. It was such a beautiful day and we even had friends drive all the way up from Tri-Cities!

Sometimes I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Gabe is 3. He is so unbelievably strong-willed and smart. He has figured out how to make us laugh and is just the silliest kid. There is nothing more wonderful than hearing your sweet little boy say "Mom, you're my best girl".

Cougar cupcakes!

We have 3 birthdays in our family within one week, so we had a few different celebrations. This was Gabe thoroughly enjoying Dad's Butterfinger ice cream cake.

Enjoying his birthday sundae at Red Robin

Reading his new birthday book from Aunt Gina

On an ice cream date with Mom

Liberty Lake - Hansen Style

2011-09-04T06:55:00.001-07:00

We took the boys up to Spokane and Liberty Lake for a day, just to get out of town. We have been so busy this summer and I felt like it was just passing us by, so I thought it would be fun to hang out and try some fun new things with the kids.

Spokane Falls Skyride

One of my fabulous readers from my other blog offered me her guest passes to the Spokane Children's Museum, so the boys got to enjoy some really fun exhibits. And we got to enjoy the air conditioning.

Too much excitement for both boys. This has never happened before, especially with Gabe.

Getting ready to swim

Snacking on the floor

We wore the boys out at Cabela's in Post Falls, I think they would have spent the entire day running around that store. Dad probably would too.

Cole's First Birthday

2011-08-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

As I have been outrageously behind on blogging about our actual family, I'm just going to share a fun collection of pictures from Cole's 1st birthday. We spent the weekend celebrating Uncle Chris's high school graduation as well, so it was quite the momentous occasion.

The Hansen boys have been hitting the gym

2011-06-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

Mike has been getting these boys ready for their careers as left-handed pitchers in the Major Leagues. Have you ever seen kids this strong?

Mother of the Year

2011-05-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

I really like to encourage my children, so I let them finger paint where ever they choose. I would never want to stifle their creative impulses by telling them no.

Quote of the year from Uncle Chris:
"Looks like he stopped to play a little Bop-It"

So you want to know the secret to my mad parenting skills? How do I allow my kids to be so creative and not lose my sanity?

I take them to Grandma and Grandpa's house and let them finger paint. Then I don't have to clean it up. :)

The Hansen boys know how to live it up..

2011-04-27T13:55:00.001-07:00

Seriously, these boys know how to have a good time.

They read books on their four-wheeler

They drive around with giant foam fingers on their four-wheeler

They take their laundry basket to "work" on their four-wheeler

They ride on the four-wheeler together. And attempt to destroy the house.

They play in kitchen drawers

They eat serious quantities of beans in their pink high chair

They entertain their Dad for hours and hours

Having two boys is like having two giant puppies running around the house. They crash into things, break things, lose things, pee on things and eat just about everything in sight. They do smell a little better and they are pretty darn cute. I think I'll keep them around.

The boys' new favorite activity

2011-04-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Also known as "Mom needs to get something done so sit on the floor and eat snacks off the ground". I make it really festive and give them measuring cups.

More trips to Lacrosse

2011-04-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

We have taken several trips to Lacrosse this past month (the boys and I) because Mike started playing softball and it's not very much fun sitting at home by ourselves. My favorite thing in the whole world is walking in to my parents clean house, knowing Mom just cleaned and vacuumed and watching my kids destroy it in a matter of seconds. :)

We also headed over a few days ago to watch Uncle Chris give his senior presentation speech. Just a few more months until he graduates high school.. It's an awfully bittersweet moment for me watching him grow up in parallel to my boys just starting their life. I wish I could bottle up my kids and keep them this young forever..

Hanging out at the park

Gabe riding the teeter-totter with Grandpa

"Racing" bikes with Grandpa

Quite possibly the sweetest cheeks in the world

You should have seen what was going on in the background trying to get these kids to smile

Sharing a snack with Pete. If you look closely, you can see the Wite-Out that Gabe put on like makeup..

Watching the crop dusters circle back and forth, fascinating!

Request from cousin David

2011-03-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

I had a request for videos of Gabe talking from David (who is in Japan and I'm pretty sure has never even met my kids). These videos are for serious fans of the Hansen boys, as they aren't doing anything super spectacular. Just a day in the life..

Enjoying the sunshine?

2011-03-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

We have yet to experience a truly warm day, but as long as the sun is out and it's not totally freezing, I've got to get these boys outside!

Going for a walk at the park

The park is a total construction zone right now and Gabe likes to take his bike "off-road" to see all the tractors and trucks..

Life will never be the same..

2011-02-21T19:47:00.001-08:00

Apparently, Cole's motivation to crawl is the same as his big brothers, destruction..

I thought I would give you a fun little comparison between the boys. They both were right around eight months when they started to get really mobile. You'll notice the big difference in the videos, life just seems a little more chaotic with two kids..

First video is Gabe, second is Cole

Milestones..

2011-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Gabe and Cole taking their first bath together consisted of Gabe hitting Cole in the head with his basketball no less than 72 times and Cole trying to eat every toy in the tub..

Cole's first haircut..
We realize he looks a bit like Lloyd Christmas, but trust me, it's way better than it was!

Gabe has started swimming lessons without Mom. This kid is fearless in the water and has such a good time!

Cole - Seven months

2011-01-19T12:34:00.001-08:00

Our sweet baby Cole is already seven months old! He is already sitting up and scooting backwards and in circles, hasn't figured out forward yet. He is growing so fast, I imagine part of this growth is that he eats more than the rest of our family put together.. He is quite possibly, the sweetest and most easy-going child that ever lived. Maybe that's because my comparison is his two year old tornado of a brother?

P.S. These are 18 month pajamas he is squeezed into..

Little dude's dimple out in full force. This kid is going to be a lady killer..

Just in case you needed a giggle today..

December 2010

2011-01-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful month of December and holiday season. It did go by super fast, but we were really able to enjoy it this year, spending time with friends and doing all kinds of fun Christmasy-type things..

Gabe enjoying the first snow fall

More outrageous attempts at a good Christmas card shot

Apple Cup in Pullman, WA (notice, no kids?)

Helping decorate the tree and doing a surprisingly good job

Poor Cole got dressed up by Dad and Gabe

Helping Mom make dinner

Decorating and eating cookies with Gracey and Harper, which was a hilarious disaster

Christmas morning and Santa gifts! We spent the morning with just our little family, opening gifts and having a nice breakfast. We then spent the rest of the day getting ready for Mike's mom and sister to come down for dinner and another Christmas celebration.

That evening, we packed up and headed to Lacrosse, where we spent Christmas Day. My pictures from that trip are pretty much nonexistent, since I came down with a nasty flu about five seconds after we finished opening gifts. Despite being sick, we did have a wonderful holiday and really enjoyed spending time with our families.

"Helping" Cole open his gifts

While Cole played with wrapping paper..

Cole apparently enjoyed his holiday..

Playing trains together in Lacrosse

Gabe in his "greenbag", as he calls it.. This pretty much sums up how we all felt after the holiday..

Outtakes from Christmas card photo session

2010-12-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

These are just a few of the hilarious pictures we got when attempting to get a good shot for our Christmas cards. Gabe was all wound up from having company through the Thanksgiving weekend and no bribe we tried could keep him in one place for more than 20 seconds. Cole was super mellow as always, but being six months old, he wasn't being overly cooperative with the smiles..

If you've seen how our card turned out, you know we eventually got something that worked. I think the craziness made the whole thing that much sweeter.. Such is our life with two young kids. Merry Christmas!

This was just desperation..

My dear Christmas card recipients..

2010-12-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

I was going to have this really fun post done with all the hilarious pictures we got while trying to get a decent picture for a Christmas card. Unfortunately, after procrastinating too long, the power supply on my laptop has now gone belly up, along with any access I have to those pictures.

I promise if you check back in a week or so, there will be pictures up. These are worth checking out. Two days of attempting to get both boys clean, happy and in the same place at the same time took lots of patience and at least three adults at all times, if not more..

We hope you're having a fabulous holiday season!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-09T22:39:00.001-08:00

I seriously can't believe it's been two weeks since Thanksgiving already..

We had a wonderful holiday, although fast. We hosted dinner at our house again this year, with my parents and brothers, Mike's sister (Grandma Linda wasn't feeling well) and Aunt Lori, Uncle Robert and long-lost Cousin Kristin.

We started the morning doing the Turkey Trot in Columbia Park, in the snow. And freezing. But we did it, kids and all..

Kristin, Grandma Lynn and Lori
(Seriously, it's been years since we've seen Kristin and she had never met either of our kids!)

Gabe digging in to Thanksgiving dinner, he finished every single bite..

Getting ready for bed after a long day..

A very long day..

These are just two of the hundreds of pictures we took trying to get a decent Christmas picture. Just wait.. The ridiculousness of the whole endeavor deserves its own post..

Tales of "The Boy Who Never Stopped Growing"

2010-11-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Cole is five months old already! You would never know that this kid started out his life around seven pounds, I swear he weighs more than I do now.. He is over twenty pounds and in the 105th percentile for his age. He is all chub and rolls and dimples, quite possibly the cutest baby I have ever seen..

Hanging out at the park with Mom and Brother

Enjoying a visit from Aunt Gina and cousin Julie

Nothing cuter than Baby Legs on a pair of chubby legs..

Eating solid food with Dad

Check out those legs, at least he can't go anywhere..

Weekend with the McFarlanes

2010-11-15T22:23:00.001-08:00

Mike had two (count them, two!) softball tournaments last weekend in Lacey and Redmond, so the boys and I got to spend the weekend with the McFarlane family. Thank goodness, because from here on out, our travel plans to the Westside are sketchy at best. The next time we get to visit, there will be five McFarlanes instead of four and life will be that much more chaotic..

Not only were there four kids under four years of age under one roof, but throw in Daylight Savings to the mix and it is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, all of our kids decided not to totally boycott sleep, so everything went fairly smoothly. Except for one ER visit, but that's another story..

Emilie and I took three of the four kids to the Children's Museum on Saturday and had a blast, especially getting to see the bizarre cultural festival going on in Seattle Center. Weird smells and weird noises were everywhere! Anyway, on to the museum..

Mom and Cole (possibly the only picture in existence)

Gabe would have happily drove this bus the entire time

Checking out the mailbox at Clifford's house

Camping with Della

The giant pumpkin. And the black eye..

The times we weren't in the bus, we were here. Going back and forth..

Gabe passing on his love of TV..

Mike reading to Charlie and Gabe while Della and her parents were at the emergency room, getting her poor little elbow popped back into place.

Seriously, these are the only pictures I have. I was lucky that I even found my camera this many times over the course of the weekend. Thanks for letting us stay and crazy up your house a little, Brett and Emilie!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, we headed out to the pumpkin patch at The Country Mercantile with some friends from my MOPS group. Gabe had a blast doing all the fun activities! A little more interactive than last year when we carried him around everywhere..

Picking out a pumpkin with Dad

Hay ride back from the patch (Ask Gabe what he remembers about the pumpkin patch and all he says is "the tractor ride!")

Scaling hay bales

Straw maze

Checking out all the "wheels"

"Helping" carve pumpkins

The glorious "cheese" face

We had a fun day making an attempt at Halloween cookies, trick-or-treating at Grandma's, Aunt Vicki's and a few friends and going back at night to see Sandra and Don's fabulous Halloween decorations. Cole was a total trooper, happily accepting one nap all day long and then passing out at 6:30. Gabe was really interested in all the people coming to our door. "What are they doing? Where are they going?"

Believe it or not, this is the best picture I got of the two of them in their costumes..

After his first round of trick-or-treating

Who knew I married such a talented pumpkin carver?

The newest member of the Hansen family..

2010-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's so hard
to say goodbye
to yesterday..

Okay, not really..

Thank you Ford Taurus, for a long and happy life. You were still trucking along at almost 160,000 miles. You carried countless people, pets, toys, babies, groceries and so much more..

I will miss your crazy quirks a little bit. Such character you had, when your windshield wipers would go off in the 105 degree weather, prompting people to look at me like I was slightly out of my mind. Your dashboard lights were so festive, saying philosophical things like "Check Engine" and "Low Coolant" and "Check your Airbags, Moron".

Thank you for getting us where we needed to go in fantastic mom-style, even before we had kids.. I hope you find a good home, to someone who is over 29..

Welcome to the Hansen family, you adorable little Nissan. I could just pinch your cheeks! Here's to many, many miles of happy travel, smushed up crackers in the back seat, fingerprints on the windows and a trunk packed to the gills with baby paraphernalia..

Here's to driving down the road listening to a CD in the CD player. Who knew these things existed?

Thank you for accomodating my children so well on their maiden voyage. Thank you for not insisting on a five-point turnaround just to get into the Starbucks drive-thru. Thank you for going through the Starbucks drive-thru twice in less than 24 hours..

Welcome to our crazy world!

Winding down the summer..

2010-10-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

I know I say this every year, but where in the world did the summer go? How is it already early October? I know having a newborn helped speed up the days and weeks and months of summer, but it just seems to go faster every year.

We have spent a lot of time in Lacrosse over the last few weeks, celebrating Chris's birthday, enjoying the last few weeks of sunshine, watching football and getting to see Uncle Chris get crowned homecoming king! Here is a very random assortment of pictures from the last few weeks..

Gabe mowed a few lawns with Grandpa..

Wrestled with Dad..

Helped Mom make salad..

Attempted swim lessons by himself and decided he would much rather have Mom swim with him..

Sorry for the terrible light! Uncle Chris is #27.

Sleeping at the football game

Hamming it up at the football game

Mike got to take a flying lesson on a gorgeous fall day..

We're learning how to "help".. The look on Gabe's face says it all!

Happy birthday Uncle Chris!

2010-09-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

We just recently came over to Lacrosse to celebrate Uncle Chris's 18th birthday. Where has the time gone? His senior year seems to be flying by.. Pretty soon, we will be watching him graduate from high school, SAD!

Uncle Chris and Gabe

Singing Happy Birthday..

Mom and Grandma Lynn (I bet you're wondering what this was about..)

Cole just did a lot of staring at the camera and smiling..

My two sweet boys..

2010-09-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that Cole was wearing the same pajamas that Gabe was wearing in one of my favorite pictures of him. I had to take a quick picture so I could compare the two boys. I always thought they looked so alike, but now that I compare their pictures, I realize how much of their own features they each have. I also realized that I don't remember Gabe being so small..

Gabe - 3 months old

Cole - 3 months old

Gabe's birthday week

2010-09-01T21:27:00.001-07:00

Gabe had QUITE the birthday week! It's a rough life for a two year old.. The night before his birthday, we packed up the family and went for ice cream. I think this was Gabe's first ice cream cone! He was a fan..

I'm apparently not very good at hiding gifts, as Gabe found his present the night before his birthday. He can't quite reach the pedals, but he trucks around pretty good anyway.

Cole and his pet bird thought it was all pretty exciting..

Picking out his new Tag Junior book at Toys R Us

The kind folks at Red Robin sang Happy Birthday to Gabe and he wasn't quite sure what to think..

Digging into his ice cream sundae

The birthday boy

Gabe and Dad got to go to a Dust Devils game. Gabe ran Dad ragged and came home with a foam finger..

Gabe got TWO birthday cakes! Thanks to the Wargo's for calling in all of our birthdays to the radio station. Mike and I each won a cake, which meant I did not have to bake..

We had Gabe's birthday party the weekend after his actual birthday. Cole couldn't handle all the festivities..

Mom, Grandpa and Uncle Chris

Three of my four pregnant friends at the party. Don't become my friend.. You WILL get pregnant!

Giving Uncle Justin a birthday hug

Gabe was really into having everyone sing to him. He asked everyone at the party to sing Happy Birthday again. Apparently, he sang Happy Birthday to the trees later..

Blowing out the candles..

Later that evening, Gabe got to go spend the night in a hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Wargo. I'm not sure that anyone got any sleep, but Gabe sure had a great time.

Happy birthday Gabe! What an amazing kiddo you are. We are so blessed to get to spend time with you every day and watch you learn and grow and talk like an adult. You constantly amaze us with the things you come up with. I think you may be the smartest boy in the universe.. And the sweetest..

Everything Lacrosse has to offer..

2010-07-26T13:24:00.001-07:00

I took the boys to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wargo for most of last week and Gabe had more fun than I think is legal for almost two year old. His uncles took him all over the place, he got to visit with friends and Grandpa Gary took him on all kinds of adventures. Grandpa Gary also got up in the middle of the night with Cole so I could sleep a little bit. I think he might actually be an angel who doesn't require any sleep.. :)

Gabe and Uncle Chris heading to the park, this might be the cutest picture I have ever seen..

Riding the 4-wheeler with Grandpa

This was about as exciting as life got for Cole

Going swimming at the big pool with Uncle Justin

Feeding the chickens at the Dorman's farm

Helping gather the eggs..

Cole's first month

2010-07-11T20:31:00.001-07:00

I CAN NOT believe that Cole is one month old today. This past month has flown by in a haze of sleepless nights.. We have had so much fun welcoming Cole home. We had Grandma Wargo here for two weeks and then Mike took another week off after she left. Gabe loved all the attention.. :) We're all starting to settle in with a routine, except for Little Dude, who has decided he hates sleep.. So what have we been up to?

Gabe took brother to the pediatrician and taught him all about dental hygiene..

We snuggled with Dad..

We tried out brother's car seat..

We went to the park with JJ, Melissa and baby Brady

We watered the plants with Grandma and Grandpa

We spent a lot of time outside..

We said goodbye to our dear friend Daniel..

We looked awfully suspicious..

We attempted the Baby Einstein

We slept in Mom and Dad's bed

We tried on Dad's boots

We went to the splash park a few times

We slept at the splash park.. :)

We swiped food off the table before dinner was ready.. :)

The arrival of Cole Anthony Hansen

2010-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Cole Anthony Hansen came barreling into the world on Friday June 11th at 10:11 AM. He weighed in at 7 lbs 14 ounces and stretched out to 20.5" long.

His delivery went off without a hitch, but he had some fluid in his lungs so he had to start out his little life in the Special Care Nursery at the hospital. He was on oxygen for a few days and hooked up to an IV, so he didn't get to eat for a few days. We did get to go in and talk to him and after a few days, he was taken off oxygen and we could hold him and I was able to feed him. It was really bizarre being in the hospital for so long and not having him in our room. For the first few nights, we actually slept through the night and during the day watched a lot of TV. After five long days, he was discharged from the hospital and has been growing and growing ever since. He is doing really well and we are all starting to settle in at home. Big Brother Gabe is finally starting to pay attention to him, saying things like "Where'd brother go?" or "What's the baby doing?" or my personal favorite, "Good night brother". Melts my heart!

We have had tons of help and several dinners made for us. We have been really blessed with good friends and family who have been reaching out while we are getting used to being a family of four.

Welcome to the world, Baby Cole!

Big Brother waiting patiently to meet Cole

Dad and Cole immediately after his birth

Notice Goal #1: See my baby? I didn't get to see him for almost a whole day!

Gabe trying out the sweet slipper socks the hospital gave us..

Mom and Gabe

All scrubbed up and ready to see Brother in the nursery

Gabe's first time seeing Cole

Mom and Cole

Our little bubble boy..

All ready to go home

2010-06-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have been such a slacker blogger! Since we are heading in to the hospital in the morning to meet our new little dude, I thought I would dedicate one last blog post to Gabe as an only child. He seems pretty indifferent to the fact that he's getting a baby brother. Although, I'm pretty sure if I told him Elmo was coming to live with us, he'd be pretty excited. :)

We just love you and all of your personality! You have better conversation skills than some adults I know. Just being in the hospital for a few nights, I am going to miss your sweet little hugs and "I love you too Mommys". We can't wait to see how you take to being a big brother!

Getting ready for swimming lessons

Swimming with Sarah and Gracey

Sporting Dad's shoes

I think the spaghetti won this battle..

I just thought he looked like such a little man in this outfit

Helping Dad try out the new double stroller. The monkey is a stand-in for baby brother.

Baby boy Hansen

2010-05-27T16:09:00.001-07:00

With our new baby boy set to arrive in just a few weeks, I thought I would give you a sneak peek. Isn't he just a handsome little devil? And so much personality.. :)

Crazy fun weekend with the McFarlane's

2010-05-06T14:51:00.001-07:00

We spent a REALLY fun weekend with the McFarlane family. Traveling and staying away from home with kids is usually hectic and crazy, but we jammed so much fun stuff into one weekend and somehow Gabe slept better there than he does at home. :)

Mike and I left all three kids with Emilie on Friday night and went to watch Cliff Lee's debut with the Mariners (Thanks Em!). It was a LOT of walking for a pregnant girl, mainly because I'm too cheap to pay for parking. I have no pictures of the game because I forgot to charge the camera but I'll give you a recap. Twelve innings of stellar pitching but ABSOLUTELY no action and the Mariners ended up losing in the end. We did get Felix Hernandez bobbleheads..

We spent Saturday morning at the zoo and had a fabulous dinner out (with coupons of course) on Saturday night. Emilie introduced me to Cupcake Royale, we were supposed to share between all of us but I think I may have ended up eating the majority of them. :)

This will probably be our last trip out of town before the baby comes and we made it worth it!

Gabe and Dad checking out the hippos (Brett was impressed!)

This does no justice to how huge they were

Gabe checking out the elephants

Gabe and Charlie (Charwey to Gabe)

Sweet Della at the penguin tank

Gabe hasn't stopped talking about the penguins since we left

I have never seen a peacock unfurled like this before, beautiful!

Gabe was such a trooper on the way home

Easter 2010

2010-04-13T14:00:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! Being a year older, Gabe was able to enjoy a little more of the festivities and it was fun just being home with our little family for the day. Gabe didn't get to enjoy everything, I ended up dying the eggs by myself while he was napping. It seemed a little easier. :)

Easter 2009 (See the wind-up chicken behind him? He still has that (minus a head) and plays with it all the time!)

Gabe and his Easter basket 2010

Easter egg hunt with Dad

A rare picture of Gabe and Mom (and baby brother)

Mike's mom and sister came down for dinner and I couldn't resist taking a picture of our dessert. It was sinful!

After a hard day's work..

Thank goodness Mike is entertaining..

2010-03-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

What has got Gabe in such hysterics, you ask?

If you don't recognize those knees, that is his Daddy, doing his best elephant impression..

Before and after..

2010-03-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

I waited a bit too long in between hair cuts for this poor little dude. We go to Monkey Dooz where every hair cut is half price on Tuesday and I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20 for a hair cut! (You know how frugal I can be..) This poor child ended up with a mullet, looking like a homeless child.

But never fear.. Here he is, all cleaned up and styling..

2010-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

Just some fun pictures to share. Everyday, Gabe does something that just amazes me. He's turning into such a little dude!

This is what I get for asking him to pose..

Eating an entire piece of bacon by himself. We thought Grandpa Gary would be proud!

Playing with his action figure who he affectionately calls "Dude". He goes everywhere with us, in the car, to the store, to the doctor's office..

Hanging out at the park. We are loving this sunshine!

He climbed into his baby walker and couldn't get his 30 lb body out..

Serious conversations with Dad..

Gabe's half birthday!

2010-02-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

I can NOT believe that Gabe is a year and a half old, it's utter madness! This kid has developed such a personality. He has discovered whining gets our attention when he is not getting his way. He has discovered that he loves to be outside, he would probably sleep out there with the dogs if we let him. He says "NO" to everything, then laughs and runs away. He has developed a strong feeling about some of his books and vetoes all things Sandra Boynton. He will say "No, No, NO" until you stop reading them and move on to something else. He went to the bathroom in his potty chair once, which was a VERY small victory as now he looks at it and says "NO!" :)

All that said, he does say wonderful things like "I love you mama" and insists on saying goodnight to the kitty every night. If you ask him how he is doing, he says "Good". He tries very hard to put on his own socks, shoes, hat and coat. He wants to be involved in everything that I do, from cooking to doing laundry. We just love this kid so much! Happy half birthday Gabe!

Wearing Dad's socks

Sporting a serious case of bed head

Hanging out outside with Dad

Sitting at the table like a big kid..

Gabe apparently wanted the kitty to play catch with him and she was NOT interested!

Mariners Fan Fest!

2010-02-08T21:45:00.001-08:00

Two weekends ago, Mike, Gabe and I headed up to Seattle for Mariners Fan Fest. We had such a great time. As most of you know, we're huge Mariners fans and are so excited for the season to start. This trip satisfied our need for baseball for a few days. :) I would seriously suggest this to anyone, it was super cheap and we got to see all kinds of behind the scenes stuff at Safeco.

We got to run out on the field, see the dugout, the player's clubhouse and meet a few of the players. It got CRAZY busy towards the end of the time we were there, so my suggestion, get there CRAZY early. :)

We stayed with Emilie and Brett and got to play with Charlie and Della, who we haven't seen in forever. We had such a great time, although we have no pictures. It was pretty hectic with three kiddos running around and Em and I trying to do a massive coupon trip that ended with Mike and Brett having to feed all three starving kids dinner. Thanks boys!

This is when we arrived! The line wrapped all around Safeco one way, then back around the other way..

The Hansen family with Rhubarb, the Rainier moose

Manager Wakamatsu and Dave Niehaus

Gabe and Dad running the bases. I was so flipping excited to do this! There was something so amazing about being on the field where the players play..

Sitting in the dugout

The player's clubhouse and a few of our favorite players. I could live in the clubhouse for the rest of my life and be totally comfortable.

So, I actually introduced myself to Rowland-Smith when he walked by, but didn't want to bother him for a picture, so this is the best I get..

Apparently I forgot I had two blogs..

2010-02-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have spent just about every waking minute this past month working on my new blog, This Beautiful Frugal Life. I swear, it's a miracle any of us have clean clothes to wear in the morning. I realized this also meant that I have zero pictures and nothing exciting to report. We did head up to Seattle this past weekend to Mariners Fan Fest so I will have some really cute ones to share when I get them uploaded. Here are a few to tide you over until then.

Reading his new favorite book (only his favorite because it sings "If you're happy and you know it" at the end..)

Drawing a picture for mom. Apparently he didn't have clean clothes? Who needs pants?

Helping mom with the dishes. Apparently every kid does this. Why it is exciting, I'll never know..

The newest thrill in the Hansen household

2010-01-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

This was one of Gabe's Christmas gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Wargo. It took him maybe two tries to figure out how to climb up himself. He climbs up and sits and waits for me to count him down. He can actually count to ten (with a little help), but I'm convinced he thinks "GO" is the number after two. :)

Christmas 2009

2010-01-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful holiday season, we're sad to see it go.. We started off our short Christmas break by doing last minute Christmas shopping (oh wait, that was only Mike..). We spent Christmas Eve with Grandma Linda and Aunt Doni (sorry to you both that I have no pictures!). We had a nice dinner and Gabe got to open his first round of gifts.

We left Christmas Eve night for Grandma and Grandpa Wargo's house so we could be there for Christmas morning. I have never been able to sleep Christmas Eve, even now at 28. I slept for maybe four hours before running upstairs to sit and stare at my stocking and drink endless cups of coffee until everyone else woke up. A few teenage boys we literally had to drag out of bed, literally DRAG..

Gabe didn't seem all that interested in opening his presents. He ripped a few here and there, but mostly ignored them and just wanted to run around the living room from person to person checking things out. Daniel was with us this year, he is a foreign exchange student from Germany who is living with my parents for the year. They have a tradition where they go around the circle and roll a die, you can only open a gift if you roll a six. We did that for the entire round of gifts and it took over three hours! It was nice being able to see what everyone else received and do it at a leisurely pace. Gabe just wanted to throw the dice around the room.

We stayed for four nights and it was VERY relaxing (even with three teenagers). The boys went hunting almost every morning and Grandma Lynn, Gabe and I just hung out and played with all our new toys. Mike and I took the boys to a movie in Pullman one night, our first since our anniversary in May.. Overall, it was a perfect holiday. Relaxing and zero stress, lots of yummy food and good quality bonding time with my smelly brothers.. :)

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Happy 2010!

Gabe opening a few of his gifts

I wish I could have captured a smile, but this may have been his favorite of anyone's presents. The largest tub of pretzels I've ever seen. Gabe ate about 90% of them..

This was halfway through opening presents. Gabe laid his head down on the floor and said "Night, night.." Too much commotion!

Mike's last present of the day. He was sent on a scavenger hunt before Uncle Chris drove him around town aimlessly.. This was their final destination! Mike was pretty thrilled..

Uncles Chris, Justin and Daniel singing Christmas tunes to Daniel's parents in Germany over Skype

Gabe enjoying his Christmas dinner

Playing on his new Rody

Mom on the Rody

And Uncle Chris..

Dad and Gabe ready to head up to the gym

Grandma Lynn and I

Gabe playing at the gym with the big kids

Grandpa Gary, Daniel, Mike and Justin

On our last night, Pete the cat decided to check out what was happening in the bathtub

Here comes Santa Claus!

2009-12-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

We took Gabe to see Santa Claus and his reindeer at Beaver Bark Nursery this past weekend. We didn't expect him to cry, since he is the most mellow child in the universe, but he was VERY serious. He did everything he could to not make eye contact with Santa and the picture below was the closest we got to a smile out of him. He LOVED checking out the reindeer though, and was very reluctant to leave them behind.

Ask Gabe what Santa says and he says "Ho ho!"
(after much training from Mom)

Checking out the reindeer

The busy life of Gabe Hansen

2009-12-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Just a few miscellaneous pictures from the life and times of Gabe. We've sure had fun this holiday season, seeing friends, playing at open gym every week, making gingerbread houses and listening to nonstop Christmas music (Mom's preference). Even though Gabe is still pretty young, it's been fun to start some holiday traditions with him and start to see the holidays through his eyes. These are just a few pictures taken over the past month, no recurring theme whatsoever..

Climbed into the toy basket by himself

He chose the accessories, snow boots and a gold fish necklace..

Reading with Dad while bouncing on his stomach..
Fun for Dad, I'm sure..

Gage came over for a playdate so his mom could get a little uninterrupted shopping done

Helping Dad put together his tricycle

Going for a ride with Harper

Looking for Dad outside

His favorite pastime..

I just love this face..

Happy birthday Grandma Wargo!

2009-12-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

Gabe's first hair cut

2009-12-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

I've been kind of ignoring the fact that Gabe needed a hair cut pretty desperately. It's super fine, but was so long on top and in the back, it was getting a little out of control. I finally took him into Monkey Dooz last week for his first ever hair cut. He, of course, was the easiest kid in the world. I don't even think he realized he was getting his hair cut. He was pretty into the car they let him sit in.

This doesn't even begin to show how long his hair was. I don't have a picture of the giant fuzz ball he would wake up every morning with in the back.

Our little dude (this post would be complete if I had a picture post-hair cut, but I got nothing for you. I'll try to put one up in the next couple days. It turned out pretty cute!)

Diapers.com

2009-11-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

I know I talk about this site all the time, but it is SO worth it. They have great deals on all things baby and super fast shipping, free with orders over $49. BUT, this is the time to sign up. Once you sign up, you will get your own unique referral code. Send this to your friends, have them sign up with your code and receive a $10 credit on your account for each friend no limit. This is only good through December 2nd, so get on it!

Go to Diapers.com
Add $49 or more worth of diapers to your shopping cart (free shipping on orders of $49+!)
Use the code NEWMEL10 in the "Promotions & Referrals" field & get $10 off your order (good on your first Diapers.com order of $49+ only)
After you have received your diapers, submit your proof-of-payment with this form & receive a $14.97 rebate from Parenting Early Years by mail. Please print off this form now as Diapers.com periodically pulls the form. Once it's gone, you can't get your rebate.

15 Months Old

2009-11-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a cue from my best friend, who just recently blogged about her son's half birthday and talked about his milestones. If I don't write this stuff down now, I will completely forget!

Gabe will be 15 months old on November 21st and he has developed into quite the little dude. It's getting more and more fun to introduce him to new experiences because it seems like he actually understands what is going on. He loves playing with his buddies, trucks and cars, balls of all shapes and sizes, trains, books, animals and eating. He has quite the vocabulary and everywhere we go, people are amazed at all the words he knows. He says all the usual words like mama, dada, no, up and down. On top of that however, he can say hat, shoe, socks, please and thank you, cookie and cracker, kitty, dog, piggie, milk, water, toast, chicken, apple, banana, flower, truck, car and coat. He also says "Oooh, cool" if you hand him something, gives high fives and kisses. There are tons of words I'm forgetting, but it's great now that he can (sort of) tell us what he wants. My favorite is that he has starting asking for Mike, instead of dada. All day long while Mike is at work, he says "Mike, go?".

We're so lucky to be the parents of this amazing little boy. He is so smart and so much fun. I look forward to him waking up every morning, just to see what he has to say.

Palm Springs

2009-11-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Gabe, Grandma Wargo and I spent a week in Palm Springs visiting family, including Gabe's Great Grandma Rahn, who he had never met. The weather was absolutely beautiful, we got to extend our tank top and flip flop season for a little longer before coming home to the cold. This was Gabe's first plane trip and he did AMAZING! I always knew he was a good little guy, but could never have predicted how great he would do. It is a bit hectic traveling with a kiddo and all the extra stuff that comes along with it.. Once we got to California and got settled, we got to spend a lot of time with family. Gabe not only got to meet his great grandma, but great aunts and uncles and cousins too. We were very sad to come home!

Trying to unpack my suitcase, look what I found!

His favorite place in the hotel room, until the ironing board tried to crush him..

Enjoying his time at the park

Walking with Grandma

Swimming in Great Grandma Margaret's pool (in October!)

Sharing an ice cream sandwich with Grandma

We were trying desperately to keep him entertained..

Playing in the cool play area at the mall

Gabe and Great Grandma Margaret (I couldn't choose which was the cutest picture, so you get both). Gabe found out quickly what made Grandma laugh (clapping, saying "Hi") and he did it over and over and over again..

Heading home on the airplane (coincidentally, Gabe's new favorite word)

All boy and then some..

2009-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

This boy does and says the funniest things and finds himself in the strangest situations. He climbs into and on top of everything and usually gets stuck. I just found it funny that over the last month or so, all the pictures of Gabe have been of him lodged into everything he comes across..

Sitting atop his tower of cushions. This used to be his little recliner. Why does it not have a cover, you ask? Someone in our house likes to climb into the chair and pee..

I just thought this was cute. Dad and Gabe heading out to mow the lawn..

Wearing the hem of Dad's softball pants

Helping me organize my candles

I don't think he wanted Dad to head to softball without him

Does this need a caption?

Now this is determination..

2009-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Country Mercantile Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

We took Gabe to the pumpkin patch last week to pick out a few pumpkins for he and Dad to carve for Halloween. They had a corn maze, a petting zoo and a hay ride out to the patch. Not sure if Gabe totally knew what was going on, but we think he had fun. :) We also bought our weight in pumpkins..

Hay ride out to the pumpkin patch

View of the Country Mercantile from the patch

Mom finding the best looking pumpkin

Gabe tried to pick up every pumpkin he saw, thinking it was a ball to play with

Gabe and Dad in the corn maze

Checking out the sheep in the petting zoo

Buddies from the womb

2009-10-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

Gabe and Gracey didn't really have a choice in the matter of their friendship. Gracey's mom, Sarah and I got pregnant at the same time and were actually due on the same day. Gracey ended up being born eight days after Gabe and they have been playdate buddies ever since.

At first, of course, they barely even knew the other was there lying next to them, but now they interact and are so hysterical! Gracey is a very typical girl, quite dramatic and likes to show Gabe how to do everything. Being a typical boy, he generally ignores her and tries very hard to play with his toys before she takes them away. That being said, they get very excited to see each other and we think they have now learned how to say each other's names.

Two months old

Three months old

Four months old and still holding hands..

And she's done..

Nine months old at the Farmer's Market

Thirteen months old
Gracey is filling him in on all the latest gossip and Gabe is pretending not to hear..

Hug or choke hold?

This is usually where the two of them get to meet up, Albertsons or Rite Aid. Sarah and I are slightly coupon crazy, so we go deal shopping all the time and the kids get to share gossip, toys and crackers from their respective carts. All the cashiers know us and our kids now..

Playing in the parking lot of Albertsons (is that sad?)

Chase and the Reach featuring Uncle Chris and his friend Alice

2009-10-05T13:29:00.001-07:00

For those of our friends and family who haven't seen this yet, check out this video. The band Chase and the Reach played at the Lacrosse/Washtucna homecoming dance a few weeks ago. If that wasn't cool enough, Uncle Chris and his friend Alice Harder got to play a song with them. This kid amazes me every time I hear him play, we're so proud of him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51bmDL7URxU
(Production credits go to Corbin Harder)

P.S. I don't know how you haven't seen this yet, since I'm pretty sure I told everyone including the mailman about it. :)

Steers and pigs and goats, oh my!

2009-09-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Gabe and I headed over to Lacrosse to stay the night and to watch the boys show their animals at the Palouse Fair. We didn't get a chance to make it to our local fair and I knew Gabe would be pretty interested in the animals. Uncle Chris showed his steer Topher and Uncle Justin showed his pig. Taking into account my limited experience and knowledge with farm animals, I thought they both did a fabulous job!

Gabe had absolutely no fear of the animals. I don't think he fully grasped how large they actually were. He kept wanting to pet Topher the cow.

This is the best picture we could get. Topher (the cow, not the Uncle) kept moo-ing and spitting all over Gabe and I and I couldn't keep a straight face..

Uncle Chris in the ring with Topher

Uncle Justin with his pig. I had never seen this before and it totally reminded me of a giant pinball machine. There are about twenty kids running around this ring, pretending like they actually have control of their animals. Meanwhile, they have to make eye contact with the judge the entire time, so every time they look up to make eye contact with him, their pig runs away. It's hysterical!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Wells came over for the day from the Hood Canal to visit and it was nice for Gabe to spend some time with them.

He had a lot of fun with Grandpa and loved to pull his checkbook out of his pocket when nobody was looking!

Gabe turns one!

2009-09-02T18:45:00.001-07:00

Gabe turned one year old on August 21! We had a great weekend, it was so much fun to celebrate not only him turning one, but Mike and I having survived a year of parenting with a healthy and fairly normal child (and a marriage that is still pretty intact!). Mike worked overtime to get the back yard ready for his BBQ party on Saturday and Friday was spent putting the finishing touches on the yard and patio (finishing touches like sod..). He spent all day working outside with Grandpa Gary and Grandma Lynn and I worked hard getting all the food ready for the party. Thank goodness for their help or I may have had a nervous breakdown.. Okay, not really, but it could have went down that road. :)

Gabe spent Friday getting EXTREMELY dirty and right before bedtime got to share a Blizzard with Mom and Grandma Lynn

He was pretty excited about his party when he woke up!

Eating lunch with cousin Shelby

Friends and family

Swimming with his buddies, Bryce and JJ

Lost in a sea of birthday presents. He actually sat patiently and watched me open every single one.

Showing JJ his new fire truck

Taking a break from the festivities

That was very short lived..

Getting Mom a beer out of the cooler

Mom, Dad and Gabe

The cupcakes before Gabe got a hold of them..

Telling his cupcake what's up..

Still not sure what to think of it..

He eventually figured it out..

Gabe was worried about all that sugar, so the next morning he made sure to brush his teeth while reading his birthday cards.

My 10 year AHS reunion

2009-08-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, we all headed up to Anacortes for the weekend so Mike and I could attend my 10 year high school reunion. Grandma Wargo came with us to help with Gabe, so we wouldn't have to find a babysitter. We had such a great time and were busy every day, seeing lots of friends and family we haven't seen for awhile.

We went up Thursday morning so we could watch the Mariners get shelled by the Yankees that night (UGH!). They lost 11-1, but it was still fun taking Gabe to his first Mariners game.

Heading into the stadium

Since the game started around Gabe's normal bedtime, he was only content being held and walked around the stadium for pretty much the whole game (we worked shifts).

Grandma and Gabe

Grandma and I tried very hard to win rally fries, but it was not our night. We jumped around waving our sign every chance we got!

He fell asleep in the car and didn't wake up once when we got back to the hotel, even through a diaper change. Too much baseball fun wore him out!

Hanging out at Aunt Lori and Uncle Robert's house (thanks for letting us stay!)

Mike, Gabe and I got to visit Mike's cousins Kate and Joey and their brand new baby girl Hanna. She was born super early and only weighed around 4 1/2 pounds at the time of our visit. She was so tiny and so sweet! I barely remember how to hold a baby that small, ours has turned into a bit of a moose. ;)

Ready to head to the reunion

Emilie and I

I had such an amazing time, seeing all of my old friends from high school. I know it's only been ten years, but having moved away from home, I only see a few people on a regular basis. I know we have Facebook and Myspace now, but there is absolutely no substitute for seeing old friends in person. The reunion was at the casino outside of Anacortes, so Mike got a little gambling in while we were watching our senior video. We had a great dinner, a FEW drinks and tons of memories and laughter. It was so great to be back!

Two of my very best friends, Emilie and Romany

The last time I saw Noelle was over three years ago at our wedding. She and I used to be absolutely inseparable and got in way too much trouble together. :)

Gabe got so bored and hungry on the way home that he started to eat his toes. :)

The Fray

2009-08-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago, Mike and I took Chris and Corbin up to Spokane to see The Fray. Apparently, so I'm told, Chris has been patiently waiting for this ALL summer, he loves this band! Gabe stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Wargo overnight. The concert was a lot of fun, they put on a great show. It gave me a new appreciation for their music, and I always get a little more excited when I hear it on the radio now. Chris and Corbin had a great time too, Chris never sat down once during the entire concert. It was also really nice for Mike and I to get away and have a night without responsibilities. :) After the concert was over, all four of us roamed around downtown Spokane and hung out in the hotel. It was fun to have nowhere to be.

Heading to the concert. Our hotel was right next door to the Performing Arts Center!

Mike and I spent some quality time at the beer stand (during the two opening bands who we had never heard of)

I did sit down during the concert a few times..

If you look closely, all the guys on stage are dressed like the Village People. One of the opening acts came out and interrupted one of the Fray's songs with YMCA. You can see a cowboy, a fireman and a sailor just to name a few.

Very end of the concert. They brought out everyone involved with the show for the curtain call, including their kids. :)

We got so lucky and found out the band was staying at our hotel! Chris and Corbin saw a few of the members the night of the concert. I went down to check out Saturday morning and ended up sharing a ride with Joe King, the guitarist. I had to ask him his name (I had no idea!) and we chatted for approximately four floors, before I had the guts to ask him for a picture.

Corbin sound asleep the morning after the concert. We thought he looked rather angelic.. :)

A deal worth sharing..

2009-08-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Albertsons and Kraft combined for an awesome back to school rebate deal and I took full advantage. Using a few leftover catalina coupons (dollars off my next order) from the previous week, I combined the store sales and coupons with participating rebate items to get everything below. I am very lucky and my local Albertsons has an amazing manager that gives me all kinds of coupons when I go in, so that helps. :) There are a few additional items in the picture outside of the rebate, but for absolutely everything shown below, I will make a PROFIT OF $23!

Miscellaneous summer fun..

2009-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

We start every summer saying this, "We really don't have that much planned this year, we're not too busy." Then at the end of the summer we say, "Where in the world did that summer go? Do you remember having any spare time?" :) We have been SO busy, with me working some weekends, camping trips, concerts, rafting trips, high school reunions and the list goes on and on and on.. It's been a super fun summer though and we've gotten to do lots of great stuff. Getting to watch Gabe experience things for the first time has been so much fun! Now I am busy planning his first birthday party..

We went up to Selah last Sunday, just for the day, to visit with the McFarlane's as they were visiting her aunt and uncle Chrissy and Dave. We were surprised to find out that Mark and Mary were there also, Gabe had so many fun people to play with. I got to meet Della for the first time (I know, I'm a horrible friend..). Charlie decided he only wanted to swim with Gabe after he was dried off and out of his swim suit. :)

Swimming with Emilie and Mary

He thought all the boys were pretty hilarious!

Trying to get a good picture of Della and Gabe.. Della of course is smiling and Gabe of course looks like a moose.. He may have accidentally swallowed her after this picture was taken. :)

VERY tired boy after playing hard in the sun

Last week, I went to spend some time in Lacrosse and stay with the boys while my parents went up to Spokane. We had so much fun, getting to hang out with Uncle Chris and Justin (and quite a few of their friends..). We went to visit the farm animals, watched Uncle Justin lift weights, watched Uncle Chris lifeguard up at the pool. helped Uncle Justin water lawns and got to play with Gage Aune for an hour or so. These boys are going to be trouble together when they get a little older. ;)

Gabe and Gage

Riding with Grandpa

Throwing microwave popcorn out of the box. I'm blaming Stacy Aune for this one. I swear he overheard the story about Gage and the oatmeal. He now throws everything with quite a bit of force behind his head, then crawls to it and throws it again. :)

Trying desperately to get a good picture of Gabe and Mom (since there might only be two in existence..)

Gabe's first boat races

2009-08-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago, we went and spent most of the boat races at our friends, Josh and Melissa's house. They have a house right off the river and we were able to lay out in the sun and let the kids play without being in the crazy public area. Gabe had fun playing in the grass and pointing at the boats in the water. The air show was crazy loud and went right over head and he only cried a few times, he was pretty into watching the planes.

Playing with "Uncle" Jason

The longer the day went on, the less clothes the boys had on..

Playing in the grass

I couldn't resist this face! :)

His first hydroplane

Sharing a snack with JJ

It's only a matter of time..

2009-07-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

What Mom and Dad have been up to..

2009-07-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Every year, Mike's cousins and a ton of their family and friends go up and float the Wenatchee River. It's a huge production, this year they did a rough count on Saturday and there were about 80 people. Two years ago when we went, there was over 100. We missed last year due to me being enormously pregnant. :) It is SO much fun! Gabe stayed with my parents for the weekend, so we could go and have no responsibilities for a few days. We headed up early Friday morning, so we could float both Friday and Saturday. Both days it took about five hours and involved a LOT of sun, a LOT of people and their boats, a few little rapids, some squirt guns and a few beers. :)

Start of the Friday float

View of Lake Wenatchee from the opening of the river

Me, Mike's cousin Nickie and her cousin Heather

Every trip we go on, we have to have one of these.. :)

Winding down to one..

2009-07-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have been a slacker blogger and I apologize. We have been so busy! We have been out of town most every weekend and we are now starting a major renovation on our backyard, so that has taken up most of our free time. Gabe has been busy as well. He's winding his way down to his first birthday. I know I say this all the time, but WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? I feel like just yesterday we were sitting at home, waiting for a call from the hospital so we could come in and deliver. In the blink of an eye, here we are.

This past month has been full of milestones for Gabe. He's still crawling everywhere (at a very fast pace). He can walk behind his walker or holding our hands, but he still prefers to crawl since it is so much faster, I assume. He has quite the vocabulary these days. Along with hello (his first word), he can now say ball, cracker, mama, dada, papa, kitty, dog (or Boggs, we're not sure), water, boat and bye-bye. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. He went shopping with me the other day and we were wandering around the produce section and he pointed to every fruit in the store and said, ball, ball! He is the most amazing little boy..

Gabe's first pasta experience (raviolis, yum!)

First climbing toy? :)

His first shiner.. He really likes to open cabinet doors and this one just bit him back..

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the 4th of July weekend with our friends, the Ransoms and their kiddos, JJ and Jordyn. We went up to Coeur D'Alene and had a great shady campsite that was right off the lake. This was Gabe's first camping trip and we were blown away by how well he did. He played in the dirt all day long with JJ and slept like a champ. He was pretty into eating sticks and rocks and he got to try things he doesn't normally eat, like hot dogs and eggs, yum!

Nothing better than eating in the outdoors (also makes for some easy clean up for moms and dads!)

Gabe and Dad

JJ and Gabe playing with Mike's ladder golf

Mike and Josh in the paddle boat, before they decided it was too much work. They traded this in for a canoe after a couple of hours. Melissa and I took Jordyn out in the canoe, but since I'm the primary picture taker in the family, you don't get to see any proof of our canoeing skills. :)

JJ and Gabe

Sharing some Goldfish crackers

Two very intelligent boys reading their books

Heading home (I had to get a picture of poor Gabe stuffed in the back seat)

Apparently it pays to get up early..

2009-07-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Gabe had a doctor's appointment the other day at 10 AM, so I decided to pack in some errands before we headed over. It was definitely worth it to get going early. I'm getting better and better at being more efficient when running errands with the babe, we were speeding in and out of stores all morning!

I got some local coupons in the mail for the Oroweat outlet the other day. Two packs of hamburger buns, a loaf of bread and two packs of tortillas for $2.18!

This was an amazing trip to Albertsons! Everything below for $3.69. Plus, I have coupons for $3.50 off my next shopping trip, so it was practically free!

Fred Meyer
$8 for everything below. The lemonade was only 25 cents a bottle, thanks Emilie!

Thanks to the store manager at our local Richland Albertsons, I found this amazing deal. 10 boxes of Capri Sun, 6 packages of ground beef and steak and a case of beer for only $13!

Quote from Mike: "I knew if you put your mind to it, you could get beer for free" :)

Our life these days..

2009-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yet another fine Lacrosse weekend..

2009-06-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

We spent yet another weekend in Lacrosse a few weekends back. It was their annual Farmer's Fest, which includes all sorts of fun like mud bogging, a parade, petting zoo, big BBQ in the park, balloon toss and three-legged races! We spent all weekend visiting the Wargos and it was gorgeous! Saturday night we went to the Dollars for Scholars auction, where all the proceeds benefit upcoming Lacrosse high school graduates (two of which will be Uncle Chris and Justin in a few years, imagine!). Uncle Justin babysat Gabe for a few hours, so we could go up and spend a few minutes having adult conversations. :) They served a great dinner and had a live auction as well as silent. Mike bid on a few things, but they went a little high for our meager budget. :) Overall, we had a really fun weekend and Gabe got to see quite a few new things, including an alpaca (lord, I wish I had a picture!).

Mike trying out the balloon slingshot
($20 if he hit the guy on the hill)

Dad and Gabe hanging out in the park

Gabe got to eat lunch outside on the porch.
He was very determined!

Lacrosse Tigercats 2009 high school football champs!! (Uncle Justin is #78, Uncle Chris is on the other side,
I think you can see his hair)

Grandpa Gary even made the parade! These were the "Heroes of Winter", the guys who helped out senior citizens shovel their walks and driveways and helped shovel the streets during the nasty winter we had. That's Grandpa in the back right.

Gabe's new airplane (Mom's latest and greatest Craigslist find!)

Swimming in his new pool

Hanging out with Grandpa on the porch. For some reason, Gabe would only let Grandpa rock him to sleep. Good news for mom, she got to relax a little.. :)

Guess who got his driver's license?

2009-06-23T07:32:00.001-07:00

Way to go, Uncle Chris! Congratulations!

Where does the time go.. (Is this a recurring theme?)

2009-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

This post is slightly overdue.. These pictures are from a few weeks ago during one of my numerous trips to my parents house this month. This weekend will be our third in a row! Gabe and I headed over to watch Uncle Justin in his 8th grade moving up ceremony. I can't even believe that he is going to be in high school (although I can believe he's 14, but that's another story). As I write this, he and Uncle Chris are at football camp at Whitworth. There's part of me that feels like they are my own kids growing up too fast. Gabe wasn't really into sitting still at the ceremony, so I spent most of the time chasing after him while he tried to stick his fingers in the fan, so I didn't get any pictures. Sorry Justin, but we're so proud of you and excited for your next adventure!

Gabe hanging out with Grandpa while he installed drip lines (Dad will be proud, reaching for that football with his left hand..)

Both Uncle Chris and Justin have animals they are raising to show at the fair this year, so we took Gabe down to visit. Here he is with the baby goats..

Uncle Justin's pig

Uncle Chris's cow, Topher

Swinging at the park for the first time! I wish you could have heard his hilarious giggle every time I pushed him higher

First mohawk

This is Grandma's candle cupboard (completely full thanks to her support of my business). It started innocently enough..

And this is how it turned out..

We got to stay long enough to have the pleasure of hearing Uncle Chris play piano at the high school graduation on Saturday. He played backup to Tim Stamper, a family friend, who sang The River by Garth Brooks. They both did an amazing job. Chris learned the piece in three or four days, it sounded wonderful!

Calling all moms and dads..

2009-06-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: It looks like new customers might be able to use the code NEW5 to get an additional $5 off diapers or formula!

Diapers.com is having a HUGE semi-annual sale through July 2nd on everything from diapers and wipes to safety items, baby food, toys, sunscreen and tons more! They have super fast shipping on orders over $49 and you can use the code MELX2989 to save $10 on your first order. I won't lie, we do get credit if you use this code. :) If you sign up, you can then send your code to friends and get credit for them signing up. I love this site, we have ordered twice and it has been so easy! You can even send in your manufacturer coupons and combine them with deals!

Holy double coupons!

2009-06-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

What a week for deals and steals! Albertsons had two sets of double coupons published, one on Wednesday and one on Sunday. I was able to get numerous sets from family members and my friend Kristi, who got all the leftover ads from Starbucks. You can only use one set of three per shopping trip, so I think I spent more time at Albertsons this week than I did at home.
But it was worth it!

Poor Mike.. I was trying to be a little more efficient, so I had him go through the line for me with a set of double coupons while I went through another line. Apparently, this is a no-no and Mike got in trouble. I have always had friendly cashiers there, but he happened to find a grumpy one. I had only been through like ten times, but he went through once and he got read the riot act. Such a great husband, he didn't even complain.. :)

Total out of pocket: 50 cents!

Total out of pocket: $3.67

Total out of pocket: ZERO!

Total out of pocket: 50 cents!

Gabe and I took a trip to Rite Aid yesterday to score some free stuff. Not included in the picture is a 12 oz bottle of contact lens solution.

Total out of pocket: a profit of 56 cents plus I will receive a free tote bag jammed pack with free Aveeno samples ($40 value)

Who knew a store could pay you to shop and it's perfectly legal?

So for everything pictured above, I paid $4.11. I can't even begin to imagine what the price would have been had we paid full price. Around $75?

Our first hospital stay..

2009-05-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

What a week for the Hansen family! We all picked up some nasty bug somewhere and are still trying to fight it off. I got so sick that Grandma Lynn had to come down and help out with Gabe, so Mike could at least go to work. We took Gabe into the pediatrician on Friday morning and he ended up having to be admitted to the hospital overnight. He was so dehydrated and lethargic that they had to hook him up to an IV. He was such a trooper, even though it took them four times to find a good vein. He was so dried up, poor kiddo! We spent about 28 hours in the hospital, but then got to come home and recover. It was scary and shocking and even humbling to all of us. We've been so lucky with Gabe not being sick at all, not even a runny nose. This just goes to show that we never know what's around the corner.

Sleeping like a baby

Even sick, he still chewed on everything! To top it all off, he had a tooth coming in..

Snuggling with Mom

Gabe's IV

Heading home

Home and on the mend (Thanks Grandma, for all your help!)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been three years already. Next month, we will have been together for a total of eight years! What an exciting year we have had, adding on to our little family with our sweet Gabe. Here's to many more years to come, happy anniversary Mike!

Before we even started dating (around May 2001)

May 20, 2006

Almost nine months old!

2009-05-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Gabe will be nine months old on Thursday, we can't believe it! Sometimes I turn around and I don't even recognize him as the same little boy he was the day before. He's crawling everywhere, pulling himself up to standing on drawers, toys, his crib rails, anything he can get his hands on. He has started repeating sounds that we make and he quacks every time he sees a rubber duck. Before we know it, he'll be celebrating his first birthday!

Using his new (borrowed) walker (Thanks Coyners!)

Blowing raspberries with Dad at Bryce's birthday party

This kid is impatient when it comes to eating!

Playing with Mom's new Swiffer

Gabe's favorite place to play, on Dad's head

Gabe and Dad

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

2009-05-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

Mike and I got to head to Las Vegas last weekend for two nights and leave Gabe with Grandma Linda. It was so nice to get away for a (short) trip and we had a great time. It was smokin' hot so we spent a lot of time by the pool and were forced to spend some good quality gambling time in the air-conditioned casinos and choked down a few cold beers to quench our thirst. :) Gabe had a good time too, I don't even think he really noticed we were gone!

The view from our hotel room window

Our first time seeing actual flamingos

Outside of Harrahs (and the liquor store)

A great week for me and my coupons!

2009-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

What a great week for amazing shopping deals, and it's only Tuesday! We've finally gotten to the point where we have a pretty good stock pile to pull from, I think we could eat for weeks without grocery shopping. I honestly think we may eat better now than before I started couponing and shopping for deals. I'm able to stretch our budget so much farther. I know you may not all care about my great deals, but it's kind of fun to document,
so bear with me. :)

Rite Aid
After coupons, spent $23.99 out of pocket
Will receive $24.50 in rebates

The picture doesn't show the two 20-qt bags of potting soil I bought, also. In a semi-motivated moment on Sunday, I actually planted our vegetable plants and seeds.

Albertsons Trip #1
After manufacturer coupons and double coupons,
spent $3.89 out of pocket

Albertsons Trip #2
Used manufacturer coupons and double coupons,
spent $1.04 out of pocket

I had to put this on here. My first transaction at Albertsons, the computer showed that it actually owed me a penny. Who knew it was possible?

Discovery Toys giveaway

2009-05-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is offering a giveaway of one of these great Hammer Away toys from Discover Toys. Shh, don't tell Gabe I'm trying to win it for his birthday present! :)

Gabe's first words

2009-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our life..

2009-05-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, the places you'll go..

2009-04-30T19:34:00.001-07:00

Gabe has only been crawling for a week and a half, but he's already found some new and VERY exciting places to hang out!

Gabe's new obsession

2009-04-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Gabe has figured out he loves to play with dad's shoe laces. He will scoot all the way across the room until he can play with them and untie his shoes. Seriously, kids are not expensive! Give them some shoelaces, an empty box and a remote and they'll be happy for hours!

Amazing deal at Walgreens for Earth Day!

2009-04-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have to share! Walgreens offered a 15% off (20% off store brand) coupon for Earth Day, which included a free reusable shopping bag with purchase (I use these for everything!). I had received a $25 gift check just for transferring a prescription to their pharmacy, so I decided to combine my deals to get some things we really needed and use all the time.

Of course we use diapers and becoming a parent, I realized we use a lot of batteries! Baby food for trips to Grandma's house, laundry detergent, stinky ammonia for cleaning the floors. I gave the Glucerna cereal to a friend who knows someone who is diabetic (I got it for free with coupon).

Everything in the picture above, after manufacturer coupons and store coupons, came to $26.63 (and yes, that is four packs of diapers!). I used my gift check, plus will submit for a $1 rebate to Caregivers Marketplace. My total out of pocket expense was 63 cents!

This the first time I decided to link up to Drugstore Divas over at The Centsible Sawyer, I thought it was a good enough deal to share! Head on over and check out some other fantastic deals!

When did I get so lucky?

2009-04-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I used to never win ANYTHING! Ever since I started following some of these great mom bloggers, I have started to win stuff like crazy! I have already posted about the baby food I won, but I also won some great seasonings from Tupperware. It doesn't end there, I'm on a roll! I just recently won some awesome shoes for Gabe by See Kai Run from Thrifty and Chic Mom (who is one of my favorites, since she ran a great giveaway for me this week!).

Can't wait to see these on Gabe!

Just recently, I won a ton of scrapbooking supplies from News Around the Blogs. I'm so excited about this, because this kind of stuff can get super expensive! I love the chance to follow all of these new blogs and get great thrifty ideas from all kinds of other mamas. Combined, they have saved us so much money with freebies, coupons, discounts, sales and all kinds of generally fabulous ideas to cut costs. Winning some giveaways can't hurt, either.. :)

Gabe's first trip to the park

2009-04-24T20:35:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, Gabe and Mom hit the park with a few friends. It wasn't super nice, but it was so nice to see our friends Sara and Dani and to just get outside. Gabe watched Harper and Audrey play on the playground with Mom, while little Erik decided to sleep (Gabe likes Erik, he feels like a big kid around him..).

Gabe ready to go parking it

Gabe and Mom

Audrey and Harper (respectively) loving the zip line swing

Dani teaching Gabe how to knock things down

Gold Canyon Mother's Day Sale

2009-04-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Don't forget.. Gold Canyon is offering a discount for Mother's Day (May 10th). Visit my website and use the promotional code MD15FREENOW at checkout for 15% off and free shipping on orders over $50. There are some wonderful ideas for Mother's Day gifts or just something wonderful as a treat for yourself. This offer is only good through April 30th (check out the summer scents for a sneak peek order of the Paint the Town Pink Lemonade Spritzer, yum!).

Our newest adventure!

2009-04-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently we found Gabe's motivation for getting around, destruction! He can't stand it to have more than two blocks stacked on top of each other, he has to knock them down. We laid him down one day to play and this is what we saw. I couldn't decide on the best video to showcase his new skills, so you get both!