Grandpa & Grandma Hanson are here!

As you can see Stefan and Olivia are very happy to have a visit from Grandpa and Grandma! They got along splendidly. Olivia showed off a few smiles and rolled over this evening for the first time. Stefan loved playing with the new cars they brought him and even took some time to read with Grandma. We're so glad they could come see us.

Our little house!

This is for those of you that have been asking for pictures of our house. Here it is. Unfortunately that top window is just an attic. Too bad it's not an actual room! It's a cute little two-bedroom house~about 1000 sq. ft. The driveway is long and narrow with a garage at the end. It is quite the job to get the car in and out of it, but we've mastered the technique! Our neigbors are very close (just a narrow driveway between us), but thankfully on the right side we have a church as our neighbor. It is a nice lawn and provides a little more privacy. We're grateful for that as that is the side of the bedrooms. It would be nice if it we could run around in that lawn but it is fenced in. Our yard is very tiny and doesn't provide a lot of space for a curious toddler to explore. That's ok. We're thankful we have a yard at all. We listen for "our" bells at noon, 3 pm, and 6pm. Noon is our favorite one. We get lots of practice counting to 12 and then the bells play three or four hymns. After they are done Stefan yells triumphantly, "NIGHT NIGHT!" We've never mentioned that to him but he has associated the bells to lunch and then naptime!

We are thankful that we are able to rent this house from a couple in our church. They are very gracious landlords, and this house was truly a provision from God.

(Inside pictures coming eventually!)

My cool dude!

It's all in vain

Notice where the passy is NOT, and where the finger IS. This is seriously stressful. Really. And if you are thinking, "Oh how cute!" stop right now. I have visions of a ten year old sneaking her finger in her mouth and being made fun of by friends. I mean, I can't just have a ceremony and get rid of the finger.

Well, I tried. Countless times I have taken the finger out and put the passy in. But nope, she's a stubborn girl.

Oh well. I'll stop stressing. Maybe.

Yum, yum, and more yum!

We just tried a new version of a fruit smoothie. Last week a local store had a case of mangoes on sale dirt cheap. I snatched them up and had on my mind to try a mango banana smoothie recipe that I had seen. The recipe included coconut milk but I thought I would just make it with yogurt since I have never used coconut milk. [Side note: Brian told me that when he was in Singapore they always used coconut milk in smoothies. I bet that was fresh though. Mmmm. that really sounds yummy. ] Anyway, would you believe that I was walking through Aldi the other day (love that store!) and they had coconut milk? So I tried the new smoothie recipe. Can it really be called a recipe with only three ingredients? I don't think so, but that is neither here nor there.

1 Mango
1 Banana (best if frozen before hand)
Coconut Milk (about 1/3 c. -- I just poured some in)
Add water as needed until desired consistency.

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Um. this. was. yummy.

And I'm not really a mango fan. I know my family is horrified about that, but I'm just not. But this was delicious. We had this yesterday and we liked it so much that I made some more to compliment our breakfast this morning.

Stefan declared it yummy.


What's not to love about this face?

Seriously. You should try this sometime. It's yummy. (The smoothie, not the face.)

Playing with friends!

Yesterday I watched a friend's two children for the morning. Stefan loved having some playtime with Phinehas and Phoebe. Our driveway is in absolute crumbles, but apparently it makes it all the more fun!

Buttons!

I love buttons. There are so many things you can do with buttons. Here is Stefan having a little button fun. First we sorted by number. One in each section, then two in each, etc. Next we sorted by color. After we had done that for awhile, I let him just play with the buttons. He had a blast taking them in and out, piling them up as full as he could in one section, then spreading them out, etc.

Fun family day at the zoo!

Today we went to the zoo in Madison, WI. It is only about an hour and a half away and is free so it has been on our radar to do sometime this summer. It was such a fun, family day and we were so glad we went. This was Stefan's very first time at a zoo and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Olivia wasn't too impressed with it, but she was sweet about it;-) Stefan loved hearing the tiger roar. He got a big kick out of the silly, loud monkeys, too! I think he could have stayed and watched the prairie dogs for forever. They were quite interesting to watch for us, too. They are social creatures and we enjoyed watching them play with each other and go in and out of the their holes in the ground. Stefan also got to play on the playground and ride the carousel at the zoo. It was such a fun day.

For Mimi!

Dear Mimi,
Thank you for the outfit and hair bow. Mommy told me that you got the outfit way back before I was even born! I am so glad I can wear it now, and the hair bow matches it perfectly. Everyone complimented me on Sunday, and I told them that Mimi had given it to me. I miss you already. For some reason I don't get cuddled as much now that you are gone. I hope you have a safe trip back to France today. Give Papi a kiss from me when you see him.

I love you,
Olivia

Mimi and Stefan...

...and a new train. He is totally into Thomas and Friends.

I love these two sweeties!

My baby is three months old!

And yes, she does have other outfits. I know she was in the this outfit in her 2-month picture I posted, but these were too cute to not post. Forgive the outfit duplication. I'm sure that is some mothering faux pas. Oh well.

Mother's Day Re-cap!

I had a lovely Mother's Day and felt very "loved." Ah yes, loved indeed. I mean, who wouldn't feel loved with these two little ones to love on. Hearing Stefan say, "appy moder's day" was enough to nearly melt my heart, and then add to that the coos and smiles of a nearly (gasp) three month old. Yep, I'm sold on this mothering thing! Don't get me wrong, it's not all rosy. In fact, just yesterday I said to my mom, "it's on days like this that I think, how again did you have five children?" Ahem, it was one of those days. Anyway, Mother's Day was a great day. Our Sunday service was wonderful and the message (the part I heard anyway-I was out doing the mothering thing for part of it) was a huge blessing. I especially appreciated the pastoral prayer which included the mothers, the mother-less, those with bad memories of their mother, the barren women, and the single women with no immediate hope of mothering. It was an excellent reminder that Mother's Day can bring very different emotions to people. We need to be mindful and considerate of them all.



Here I am with my sweet babies. What an awesome blessing and responsibility it is to mother these two precious children. My prayer is that I would be kingdom focused as I mother them, (again, from Sunday's message) and that I would have as my motivation to make disciples.

And here I am with my beautiful mom. It is the first time I have been with her on Mother's Day since I have been a mother as well. Very special. She taught me everything I know about being a Mom and then some. (We all know she taught me more than I actually know. Maybe someday I will learn it all)

What is one of my favorite memories with my Mom? Thanks for asking, I'd love to share! Reading aloud together the book, A Woman's High Calling by Elizabeth George one summer, culminated by going on an overnight together to a bed and breakfast. The little get-a-way included shopping, a concert (that was for me, thanks, Mom!), touring a castle together, and of course some more shopping. Oh, and talking. We always talk a lot! (Make that I always talk a lot. Mom is a good listener!)

So to all you ladies, whether or not you have mothered your own children, if you have ever loved, nurtured, discipled, and cared for children as a Mom, an Auntie, or a mentor, I hope you had a lovely day on Sunday!

The bonding continues!

Mimi's here!!!

We are so excited to have Mimi here for a visit. She and Olivia are bonding beautifully, as you can see! We're so thankful for the unexpected provision of a way for my Mom to come visit us. Check out Olivia's double chin. She is obviously not starving!