Pumpkin Patch

Dear Kate and Riley,
Still having delusions of catching up some day. Despite life being SUPER crazy with the transition to three kids, we HAD to head to the pumpkin patch like we do every year. We headed over one night and they boys had a blast.

Love,
mom

Zach's 5th Birthday

Dear Kate and Riley,
Well, October will be a busy month for us from now on. Luke on the 8th, Zach on the 12th and me on the 16th. So, when Luke was 4 days old, we had Zach's 5th birthday. Since I thought Luke would be like two weeks old at that point I had told Zach he could have a little party. I was about to call it all off but Grandma Janice stepped in to help. We let him invite a couple friends to Chuck E. Cheese after school on his birthday. I wasn't going to come but just couldn't bare the thought of missing out completely. So, in a move that only a mom of a 3rd child would make I brought Luke to the cesspool of germs-- Chuck E. Cheese at only 4 days old.

We love you Zach! He is such a great older brother and friend. He has been such a good helper since Luke came, even though it was a little bit of a rough transition. He loves anything active-- his bike, scooter, running races. He has such a strong personality and is always the one organizing games and things among his friends. He loves books and coloring. He played soccer for the first time this year and loved that too. He got his first "little" legos for his birthday and is officially obsessed. He loves playing games with mom and dad-- trouble, memory, etc. We love our Zachy!

Love,
Mom

More Luke Pictures

Dear Kate and Riley,
I just can't imagine that I'll ever catch up. But I am going to try to get at least a few baby Luke posts documented so I don't forget his whole time as a newborn!

These are all just more random pics from the hospital. I LOVED being in the hospital all alone with Luke. It was like a mini vacation. We got so much snuggle time and I had the most amazing night nurse both nights who took him all night (which they don't really do at Hoag). She would bring him back to nurse and them take him again. It was great being able to get a little sleep (because heaven knows I haven't had any since). I wish I could have stayed in the hospital for a week. Going home was daunting.

Grandma Janice would bring the boys to visit but they were so wild it was kind of hard. She had a good idea to bring a game to play so they would have something to do other than be wild and push buttons that they weren't supposed to. They were both excited to meet their brother. Brady was hesitant at first but warmed up. 

Love,
Mom

Baby Luke is Here!!

Dear Kate and Riley,

I promise I'll go backwards and post about the rest of our summer some time. But for now Luke's arrival needs to be documented!

Because I have always been induced at least a few days before my due date, we didn't think it would be any different this time around. But, apparently this is the "busy season" for births (who knew!) and my doctor could not get me in to the hospital for an induction. It was super frustrating because in my head I had "checked out" from being pregnant and we had already bought a ticket for Grandma Janice to come out and help. The ticket was for the day before my actual due date and we thought for sure he would be born and possibly even home from the hospital by the time she got there. Instead we had five days to play and waste time (and try to induce labor).

Luke must have been pretty happy inside (maybe he sensed what he was getting in to down here). He seemed to have no intention of coming on his own. So four days after his due date, my doctor FINALLY got me in for the induction. His birth was easy-peasy (as the boys like to say). I got my pitocen, they broke my water and six hours later, we had a baby! He was the easiest by far and thankfully so because my recovery has been decent which I needed since by the time we got home from the hospital Grandma only got to be here five days. I had her for two full weeks after Brady was born so I was a little stressed about her leaving.

Today (last Wed. 10-17) was our first day being totally on our own (dad had to go to work) and things were a little crazy as I tried to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door by 9am. There was one point when the boys had somehow let Bella out the front door so they were chasing her through the neighborhood, Brady still in pj's, and I'm upstairs nursing and yelling at them out the window to get inside. All while Zach's carpool showed up to get him and the dog is no where to be found. Chaos! But I'm sure we'll get the hang of this three kid thing eventually.

Luke weighed 8 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. Our biggest by far. He has the softest black hair you've ever felt and I love to play with it while he nurses. I love having a tiny little baby, I love that by this round they don't stress me out. I think you understand better how fast it really goes and that everything from the pain to the sleepless nights will be over in a flash. I just love to smell him and hold him and kiss him. It's funny that I felt any disappointment at all that he wasn't a girl because I just can't even imagine it now. I look at these boys and I know they were all meant to be here as part of our family.

The boys love Luke, they call him Lukie and Brady especially loves to hold him and tell me how "TINY" he is (in the squeakiest voice). He tells me 100 times a day "I want to hold that baby!" He even told me he had milk in his "elbows" to feed the baby (can't decide where he got elbows from).

He looks like a mix of both boys-- Zach's nose and eyes, Brady's mouth. He has Zach's appetite and would eat all day long if I'd let him. He is a little fussier than I remember the other boys being and wants to be held all the time. That is a little hard with the other boys but we'll figure it out (or maybe he'll figure it out!?)

We love Luke so much and are so excited that he is part of our family. We are so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed us with this beautiful boy.

Love,
Mom

Finally! I was so happy to finally get in to the hospital. It felt like I was pregnant forever.

Our ocean view, we love Hoag

Meeting Luke

First family photo

Zach meeting Luke I think Grandma Janice has more pictures of this

Hansen Reunion--FHE (part 2)

Part of being in charge of the reunion was planning the FHE activities for the night. We played some fun games and Papa Ross gave a little message. Of course there was other fun involved as well.

One of my favorite moments of the reunion, when Brady got all the older kids to sing Old MacDonald with him. It was SO cute!!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Papa Ross giving his spiritual thought for FHE

The main game we played was a scavenger hunt. We had statements that pertained to the adults and the kids had to go around and find the person or people who fit the statement. They were things like-- Find three teachers, find two accountants, find three people who lived in Asia. It was fun because it made the kids have to interact with the adults and some of the things were kind of tricky!

The other game we played was amusing. We put a paper bag on the ground. You had to pick up the bag using only your mouth, tear a piece off the bag and put it back. The bag got smaller and smaller. I was surprised at how flexible some of our family members were! We basically went until there was nothing left of the bag.

I can't remember who "won" but Sheri and Tia were both amazingly flexible. Despite both being in dresses. I was glad that I was pregnant and didn't even have to make an attempt!

Then we played another game where you had to knock over the water bottles with a tennis ball in pantyhose over your face. The kids got pretty into this and pretty crazy.

Then the former cheerleaders/gymnasts put on a show for us. I was totally impressed that Tia and Sheri could still do back handsprings! I couldn't do those things when I was 12, let alone 30 something! I got some cool shots of these and if I wasn't so pregnant and lazy I'd figure out how to put them together so you could see the whole sequence.

More family reunion pics coming...