The Hansen Happenings

~Halloween 2011~

2012-02-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

We always love Halloween around our house! While I was too exhausted being pregnant to really dive into creative Halloween costume ideas, the girls were left to decide on their own what they would be this year! They had a great time and collected pounds of candy!!

Katherine threw on her best Laura Ingalls Wilder look at the last minute since her AP US History teacher informed the class of an extra credit assignment involving trick-or-treating and candy-trading. Until the extra credit opportunity was offered, Katherine hadn't planned to go since she is getting so old...

Kora decided to keep with the Harry Potter obsession of Fall 2011 by going as Hermoine Granger for Halloween. We already had the robe thanks to her Aunt Melanie. I just braided her hair for some frizz and bought a plastic wand--a just like magic, she was transformed!!
Kallen had decided several months in advance that she would be a princess for Halloween. I was hesitant to purchase a costume too early for fear she would change her mind. Luckily for me, she went with Princess Tiana and stuck with it! She was a little concerned because her hair isn't black like Tiana's but decided that was okay once we got the whole costume on her!

Kora turns 11, Eric gets older too!

2012-02-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

*Oh the daunting task of playing blogging catch-up!! I will take it a blog at a time and hopefully by the end of the month I can be blogging current happenings!*

Kora turned 11 in September! Of course, Eric and Kora share a birthday so the celebration is always double the fun!

Kora was so thrilled to get her own set of Harry Potter books! Now if we could just get her to commit to reading all of them before she gets bored and distracted by something new!

We love you, Kora! Here's to a great year full of joy! Happy, happy day!

Another First Day of School! August 2011

2011-08-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

So, I can't miss at least blogging the annual "first day of school" photos. This way I know I haven't completely given up on my blog. It is certainly hard to believe it but today the girls started another school year and I had barely gotten into having a summer. Alas, they are off to school and Kallen and I have a quiet house this morning. Next fall, Kallen will start preschool! Katherine is now a sophomore in high school!! Kora is starting 6th grade already--which means junior high for her next year!! Again, it is all so very surreal and amazing to me how time has passed so quickly.

Katherine--15 and a half! She was sure to finish driving school this summer so that all she needs to do now is continue to practice her driving so she is ready totake her test for her license on her 16th birthday in December!!

Kora--turning 11 next month! Spent most of her summer relaxing, reading, playing video games, and avoiding piano practice at all costs! Fall soccer season just started and she is thrilled!

Kallen wasn't going to miss a photo op! Kallen is 3 and a half! She made sure to change from her "sleeping pajamas" into her "daytime pajamas" before we walked Kora to the bus stop! She misses both her sisters already!!

Baby Kallen isn't so much a baby anymore...she's THREE!

2011-02-02T08:32:00.001-08:00

Wow! I am actually now blogging about something that happened less than a month ago! Are you impressed yet, Dad? Hope these blogs have been fun for you for your birthday! Happy, happy Day!

Kallen was so happy to get another day of opening gifts just a couple weeks after Christmas!! "It's my happy day!" She had a good day and actually got to celebrate a couple times. Seth and Emi were able to come visit us the day before her birthday! Kallen loves to play with Emi.

Kallen checking out the cupcakes, eager to dive in!

This year I made pumpkin muffins for her birthday cake! Just a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin! Super easy and nothing she is allergic to! I iced some of them for the real birthday look but I prefer them plain!

She was so excited! She couldn't stop smiling when we sang to her and this year, she didn't try to touch to candle flames. Hooray!

All blown out with just a little help from sisters.

New Strawberry Shortcake DVDs to drive us all mad!

Our Ohio Christmas, 2010!

2011-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Mason, Ohio! Once we had our house all decorated, I spent the remainder of the holiday season in a frantic rush in order to accomplish all that needed to be done--awww...'tis the season, right? I actually did pretty good and was able to enjoy the feeling of the season as well. We did have a nice, small, quiet Christmas. No company, just our little family. We spent the day just as it is meant to be spent--lazily snacking, playing, napping...peace to men on earth.

The tree and gifts, getting ready to arrange them all!

Katherine and Kora trying out some new Wii games.

Kallen loving her new baby from Grandma Barbara!

Katherine sporting her new bathrobe, new boots, and trying her aim with Kora's Nerf gun! She's gonna LOVE that I posted this photo!

Kora trying out her new camera. She's become our newest family photographer.

Eric and Kallen--she was so very into Christmas morning this year. So much fun to watch! She did some serious present opening, not even caring who the present was for!!

When your fifteen...unbelievable!

2011-02-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

I guess I never imagined that these children would ever get as old as they are already getting. Katherine is now counting down to getting her temporary driver's license this summer! Really?! I asked her what she was wanting for her 15th birthay. She wanted to stay home, in her PJs, doing absolutely nothing ALL DAY LONG!! So, she did just that. It was a good day for her.

The cake production was still allowed to happen!

The present opening...

Two of her favorite things--The Beatles and Monopoly!

Another Piano Recital--Winter 2010!

2011-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Much to my delight and much to Kora's discontent, Kora is still taking piano lessons. I used to think I would never be the Mom who forced this kind of thing on her child...hah! I keep telling her that one day she will be pleased that I insisted, she keeps telling me that won't happen. We shall see...

Kora is really quite talented at the piano, especially when you consider just how little she actually practices. I love to hear her play and she might admit that there are occasions when she does really enjoy it. She's currently working on learning the Star Wars theme and is rather liking that!

Introducing herself and her pieces...

She got to play on a beautiful Steinway! Really pretty cool.

Thanksgiving Thanks!! 2010

2011-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

It was indeed a happy, thankful thanksgiving day! We were lucky enough to have my sister's come to spend the weekend with us, even though Seth and Carrol bailed on us at the last minute due to illnesses, or so they say... ( ; Anyway, we had a great time with my sisters. All the girls love the extra attention they get from Aunts Marlo and Melanie!! I was most thankful for the help they provided in turning our home into a Christmas haven that weekend. We got our tree from our favorite tree farm and spent much time bringing in the Christmas season.

Time spent prepping: countless hours. Time spent eating: about 10 minutes!!

Kallen's second helping of turkey!

Melanie, Kora, and Marlo--riding out to the trees to find the perfect one!

Who Dey in Real Life!

2011-02-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Well, Eric and I have now finally been to a live NFL game! Yes, after living here in Cincinnati for nearly fifteen years, we finally got ourselves downtown to see a game. We were lucky enough to get tickets for a suite, so we now can not even fathom going and sitting in the regular seats. While we didn't expect that the Bengals would win, we still had fun! I was pretty in awe of the size of it all. And the bonus--we got to see the Steelers play too!! So, if the Bengals can't make it to the Superbowl, we'll gladly route for the Steelers this Sunday!!

Halloween! 2010

2011-02-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

To prepare for this past Halloween, we made a special trip to the thrift store hoping to find some treasures to assist with the girls' costumes. We found nearly everything we needed! Kallen found her pink hat to complete her Strawberry Shortcake outfit. Kora found her shirt, shorts, socks, and tie to got along with some old shoes that we spray-painted shiny black in order to pull off a fun Spongebob! And Katherine found a sweater-vest, shoes, and slacks that would work for her Ferris Bueller look. We probably had more fun shopping for the costumes than the actual Halloween event. However, we did have tons of fun on Halloween night as well. Seth, Carrol, Emi, and Evelyn came down from Columbus and spent the evening with us. The girls all got way too much candy--Katherine and Kora spent a good deal of time dividing up all of Kallen's candy that she can't eat in exchange for the suckers, and smarties that Kallen CAN have. They have now discovered a love of Kallen's food allergy!!

Kora is TEN--double digits at last!

2011-02-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last fall, Kora chose to have her birthday party at a local laser tag facility. This was so much fun! Eric and I both ended up playing and having much more fun than we had thought we might. Kora is now finally 10 while most of her classmates are either already 11 or just about to be. Kora claims she doesn't like being the youngest and the smallest in her class, but I sometimes think she quite enjoys the attention. Regardless, a pretty fun day. These children just insist on growing up so dang fast...

For Kora...the Bengal theme was a must! Yes, we all know dem Bengals are pretty sad...Kora's loyalty is unshaken...so far...

The whole party gang!

Thank Goodness for my Dad's Birthday!

2011-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

So...it's my Dad's birthday again and I am finally motivated to sit down and play some blogging catch-up--some SERIOUS catch-up! We have had some "happenings" since school began last fall. So, to start, here are a couple fun photos of the girls!

Kallen

Kora

Katherine and Kallen

Katherine, Kora, and Kallen--great sunset shot!

First Day of School Fall 2010!

2010-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

So, it seems I have this bad habit of completely neglecting any summer posting...it is what it is, I guess. The girls began yet another year of school this morning. Katherine is officially in High School starting her freshman year this year!! Kora is starting in 5th grade and pretty excited to have a good friend living right across the street who will be keeping her company on the school bus. Kallen doesn't start any school but remains at home to keep me from feeling too old. She was more than happy to accompany me to Kroger this morning. We shall spend hours of quality time together while we wait for her sisters to return home.

Katherine: Freshman in High School, 14 and a half years old. Less than one year away from having her driver's permit (we have been reminded)!!

Kora: 5th Grader, one month shy of 10 years old. More than ready to take on the world!!

Kallen: Big Girl, 2 and a half years old. Completely potty-trained and lovin' her new Big Girl Bed!!

Geneva on the Lake

2010-06-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

So, for Memorial weekend, we ended up heading north to Lake Erie. We found a quaint little cottage to rent for a few days in this bizarre little town called Geneva on the Lake. We found a "beach" to visit at the state park there and really just hung out, relaxing and playing. It was a pretty great escape even though we seemed to be the only ones there who didn't arrive on motorbike...

Kallen could not get enough of the beach--"I luva da beach!!" Katherine spent a good deal of her time studying for school finals despite our labelling her a "total nerd." Kora loved the playtime on the beach almost as much as Kallen! Certainly the break that we all needed!

Spring Break in NYC

2010-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Once the Easter festivities had finished, we made plans to leave early the next morning (before Kallen awoke) to head to NYC! We had promised Katherine and Kora a trip--Katherine wasa eager to return and Kora had never been. Katherine had previously planned out our entire trip. The few days that we spent there were jam-packed with tons of sights to see and places to visit. Among our stops were Statue of Liberty (including a hike to the crown!), Ellis Island, The MET, The MOMA, The Natural History Museum, the NYC public library, Grand Central Station, several areas of Central Park, The Dakota, seeing Wicked, Times Square (including several stops at Toys R Us, Hershey's Store, M&Ms World, and souvenier shops), Mood fabric store, FAO Schwartz, The Apple Store, The Plaza, The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock(efeller), and more that I can't remember right now. We had SO much fun! The girls are eager to go back again. Next time we hope to take Kallen. She got the spend those few days being ridiculously spoiled by her Aunts.

Easter Eggs and Scranton

2010-06-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

This year Easter Sunday was spent in the Scranton area with the Beeman family. We had a very yummy dinner at Marlo's house and went to the lake for our Easter Egg Hunt. Marlo was an especially fantastic hostess and took us to some fun Scranton sights while we were there as well. One significant event that no one was fast enough to get photo proof of, came when a Bald Eagle flew over the lake when we first arrived there for the hunt. We all saw it and no one got a photo. So bummed...but incredible nonetheless!

Marlo took us to Nay Aug Park (I don't think I had ever been before)--we hiked around and saw some cool sights. The girls all had a good time!

Kallen Obsesses...

2010-06-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months, Kallen has decided to start obsessing... She started with her books. She LOVES to be read to and developed a nightly routine of convincing someone to read ALL of her favorite books to her just before bed. I was especially pleased by this obsession. Reading is all good.

Her most recent obsession began when Eric decided to use my upcoming birthday as an excuse to indulge his obsession and be one of the first to own an iPad! My birthday gift quickly became a household obsession for everyone except me! Kallen has mastered the iPad and can operate nearly every app on it with little problem. Her favorite place to visit is YouTube. She knows how to find the history and watch her favorite videos. She can then find other videos similar to her favorites. It's an endless entertainer for her. I find myself pretty constantly monitoring her viewing as I haven't yet figured out how to filter out the inappropriate...what fun for me!

Our February Snow!!!

2010-06-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

February brought more snow than we were expecting here in the Cincinnati area. It did make for some fun snow days and plenty of opportunities for Snowmen. Kora could play in the snow all day long. Katherine enjoys brief but intense snow play. Kallen decided it was fun to eat the snow. Eric and I got plenty of exercise keeping the driveway and sidewalks free from snow.

Playing catch-up in Honor of Dad, yet again...

2010-06-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

So, I guess it's a good thing these occasions keep coming around or I would never get my blogging done. I know Dad is missing the blog updates so for Father's Day, here are some of the things that our family has been up to for the last 4 and a half months. It's not complete, but these are the occasions for which I have photos...

Kallen turns TWO!!

2010-02-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

Once all the excitement of the holidays had died down, we were thrown into one more party event as Kallen's birthday came fast--January 10th! Kallen officially weighed nearly 24 pounds at her check-up and the doctor was thrilled with her growth despite some who believe she hasn't grown at all in the last few months. She says many words and phrases now and is at the perfect age for Eric to teach her all sorts of "precious" things. Luckily, he hasn't yet taught her to say "Mommy is a witch!" (one of Katherine's first sentences) She does regularly tell her Daddy "I love you the most!" He's endlessly pleased...

Kallen LOVED her kitchen. She wasn't too certain what it was at first but once her sister's got in and started playing, she quickly became interested and a little possessive. Her cake, while not so lovely appearing, was thankfully edible! We all enjoyed it this year. I found a recipe that I will use again that contains no eggs, butter, or milk, of course. Kallen, naturally, never really dug into the cake. Instead she ate the berries off of it. She was happy.

Once we lit the candles, Kallen really had no idea what to do. She stood and watched them for a while until finally her sisters joined her to show her how to blow them out. She has now learned the words to the Happy Birthday song and will spontaneously sing it to her toys.

I believe she has now decided that opening her mouth really wide is how you smile big. She's been doing that rather often these days.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2009!

2010-02-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Merry, merry Christmas! What a fantastic thing, Christmas morning! Kallen was slow to awake and wondered what the excitement was all about but soon got into the fun. Kora and Katherine apparently woke around 3 AM and waited desperately for the fire and the lights and the music that signals Santa's visit. By 9AM, Eric and I were back to sleep for a perfect Christmas morning nap.

The girls ended up spending most of their day in the basement trying out Beatles Rockband. By the end of the day, the whole family was hooked. Incredibly fun!

Kallen's favorite toy, aside from the drums, was her giraffe bike and her Dora doll that Kora got for her. Katherine was thrilled to have a new iHome to make sure she can wake up to her favorite music and Kora got the juke box to play her iPod. Everyone had a very nice, very low-key Christmas day!

Cincinnati Children's Choir

2010-02-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Kora decided she wanted to join a choir group this year. She ended up having a great time meeting some new friends and going to practices every week but she really loved the excitement of the performances. Throughout December, we got to head downtown to the University of Cincinnati and watch Kora sing as part of the Cincinnati Children's Choir. Thanks to her lack of vertical blessings, she is always in the front row and easy to spot. You did a great job, Kora. She now looks forward to the choir starting up again next month.

Festival of Lights--Cincinnati Zoo

2010-02-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

We actually scheduled it and made it to the festival of lights at the zoo this year. We always enjoy going and usually end up remembering too late that we never made it. This year we took Beau along with us as he is somewhat of a prodigy when it comes to light shows--he's got a show of his own in his front yard that made the news this year.

We all had a pretty fun evening and ended up picking a good night for it--not too terribly cold and not too crowded. We look forward to more trips to the zoo once the weather warms up a bit.

Katherine makes it to 14 Years!!

2010-02-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable...Katherine is now 14. She enjoyed a day of whatever she chose to do, starting with nutella crepes at Ihop and ending with hours of playing with her new phone. Really? Hours? A phone? Yes, if fact, hours. It's so bizarre but she was happy. It's now actually a couple months since the actual birthday happened and I still can't think about it for too long or I get pangs of fear/anxiety/sadness and the like. She's a fantastically wonderful daughter. It's just too bad you can't all have her ; )

Happy Birthday, Dad! Playing catch-up in your honor!!

2010-02-02T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Groundhog Day. My Dad's birthday. And since I know how he enjoys finding new posts on my blog, I have decided to try to catch this blog up today. Hopefully Dad hasn't given up hope and will check this sometime soon! Enjoy and have a great day, Dad!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-02-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

So, Thanksgiving day was super relaxing and fun. We stayed home, just our little family, cooked up lots of food--ended up with a fine turkey--and just spent the day hanging out. As if tradition for us, we headed out the next day to find the perfect tree. We found a great one and apparently terrified Kora strapping it to the roof of the van. We spent the rest of the weekend decorating the house for Christmas!

Kallen's First Haircut

2009-11-18T06:31:00.001-08:00

So Kallen's hair was getting a bit crazy and I knew it needed some trimming up.

Kallen just before her haircut...

I was pretty nervous about getting her hair cut as I was afraid all her little curls would never come back and I was hesitant to cut away the baby look. Luckily, the haircut was perfect. Just enough to clean it all up and not too much of a difference to her look. I will have to accept that she is a toddler and not my baby anymore but that's for another day...

Kallen after her haircut...

Braces are Gone!

2009-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Just barely over a year after she started, Katherine was able to get her braces off! They were taken off the beginning of October which was earlier than the Orthodontist had expected. Her teeth ended up being incredibly cooperative and Katherine couldn't have been more thrilled! Now we are having retainer fun--she's only nearly lost them once (throwing them away with her lunch at school and then getting to dig through the trash to retrieve them)! I have to say that I feel pretty good about the orthodontic investment. I think she has a beautiful smile! She wasn't excited about indulging me for photos, though.

September Birthdays!

2009-10-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Nearly one month later, I am finally getting around to posting a few photos from Eric and Kora's birthday.

Kora had a great birthday. She was most excited about getting her own e-mail account--naturally the one thing we spent nothing on--but was also pretty pleased to get her own iPod (she likes to take video and watch TV shows on it, funny that I only listen to music on mine)! Happy, happy 9th birthday, Kora!

Eric also had a good birthday! Since I knew 40 deserved a bit bigger of a production, I enlisted my friend, Lish to help me decorate and fully furnish our loft. Her husband had provided his incredible talents by building some gorgeous bookshelves, a banquette, a and desk. Unkown to Eric, I had spent a few weeks collecting and hiding all sorts of tchotchkes and furniture to finish the area with our new built-ins. He was completely surprised--a first for me--and loves his new space. I had tons of fun!

First Day of School Fall 2009!

2009-08-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to post these "first day of school photos" now and kind of ignore the fact that I haven't blogged a bit all summer long. I hope to eventually go back and add some of our summer goings-on, but for now, I am being a realist. I will at least get back into the routine...

Katherine started 8th grade!! She was anxious just to get that first day over with so she could get on with her year. I can't believe she is turning 14 in a couple of months.

Kora is starting 4th grade, her first year at the Mason Intermediate building. She was very nervous about being able to get her locker opened by herself. She says she still hasn't gotten it... Kora will be turning 9 next month!

We forced the girls to stand and pretend to love each other for at least one photo for the first day of school!! I'm sure many of you all know that I am so not kidding when I say that...

Kallen spent the day wondering where everyone had gone. Good thing Grandma finished her monkey blankie so she could snuggle up with it. And the little stinker found one of those dang hats that have made their rounds on each of the girl's heads...

Let her eat WHEAT!!

2009-05-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Kallen had her official Wheat Challenge down at Children's Hospital. It's a painfully tedious process that involves feeding her one minuscule crumb of a cracker, then ten minutes later two crumbs and so forth until she has eaten two whole saltines! We hung out at the hospital for 5 hours straight. I thought I might lose my mind. However, the payoff was indeed worth it as Kallen is now free to eat wheat. We have happily added several cereals, pasta, and crackers to her diet but are still far from overcoming the egg, milk and nut allergies. After this challenge, it's going to be a while before they will be able to convince me to attend another challenge. I do know it will be at least a few months away as they won't be testing her again until late summer. Congratulations, Kallen! Enjoy those graham crackers at last!

Easter Sunday 2009

2009-05-05T07:09:00.003-07:00

Though Easter Sunday has come and gone a few Sundays ago, I am just now getting the photos up on the blog. We had a very nice day. The weather was slightly chilly but the sun was out all day so the Easter Bunny decided an outside egg hunt would be possible. Katherine, Kora, and Kallen all got into the fun. Kallen's Easter basket was even full of egg, milk, and nut-free goodies!

Everyone from 13 years to 15 months old enjoys an overindulgent egg hunt--well over 100 eggs in all!

The girls had a nice Easter Sunday overall. Lots of candy to be eaten and new toys to entertain...

Cruising with Girlfriends!

2009-04-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

As indulgent as it may sound, I went on a cruise with some girlfriends and left my children and husband home to fend for themselves! It was a fantastic weekend getaway! We left town on a Thursday morning and returned very late on Monday night. The ship left from Miami and visited Nassau, Bahamas. It was scheduled to visit another private island in the Bahamas, but due to high winds, we ended up sitting in the middle of the ocean that day. No problem for me as the captain made sure we were in the sun! My friends Alicia, Karyn, and Rachael and myself all decided to just do this, kind of on a whim. I am glad we did. We all had a good time even though Karyn got a bit sick. Both Rach and Karyn had gotten the motion sickness patch and were crossing their fingers as neither of them had been on a cruise before. Rach seemed to do pretty well and Karyn was much better after the first day, at least that what she would have us believe...

Anyway, great trip regardless of the never-ending guilt that Eric is trying to give me and will continue to try indefinitely!! Thanks, ladies!

The Grandparents Beeman Visit

2009-04-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

While I am certain I have neglected to include all sorts of events in between this visit and my last blog, I am also determined to just get back to blogging more often. I am sure my life is no busier than all of my loyal blogging friends. So...

My parents were able to come visit us here in Ohio. They arrived the 2nd of March and stayed until the 16th. It was a good visit. My dad was able to help me with some home improvements at both the new house and the old one (so that it was ready to sell). The help was greatly appreciated and much needed. The girls enjoyed the extra company. Kallen didn't know what to do with just me once they had left. Here's hoping they can return again soon. I'm already compiling my next "Dad List"!!

Lucky for us, the old house was finally officially under contract by the time my parents headed home (though the closing isn't scheduled until the 1st of May). I guess Dad's hard work paid off for us!

And she walks too!!!

2009-02-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

While she took her very first couple of steps back in the beginning of December, she quickly decided walking wasn't worth the effort just yet. So, two months later, she was ready to put forth the effort and is officially a walker. Here's some video some of her first steps:

Kallen Grace is One year old...

2009-02-25T07:29:00.001-08:00

It's amazingly hard to believe that Kallen has already turned a year old. It's been a crazy fun year. I was determined to let her eat cake on her birthday so I did some research and found a way--egg replacer, soy milk, wheat-free cake mix. It certainly wasn't the prettiest cake since I just don't do cakes but she didn't mind.
Kallen ended up being the only one to really enjoy eating the cake. It's a good thing she doesn't know what a real cake tastes like. I thought the cake was pretty nasty. Kora didn't mind it. Eric and Katherine withheld comments but did eat a piece that day.At her one year check up at the doctor's office, Kallen officially became our largest one-year-old weighing in at 17 pounds, 8 ounces!

Kallen finally cuts a tooth!

2009-02-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

While she didn't wait quite as long as Kora did, Kallen cut her first tooth right around New Year's Day (just a week and a half before her 1st Birthday) while her aunts were visiting. It has taken over a month for the tooth to really be visible but we can finally see it when she smiles. From the amount of drool and the cranky disposition lately, I believe she will be cutting a few more very soon. In fact, she may have already cut the second one but I can rarely get my finger in her mouth to really investigate.

Christmas 2008

2009-02-25T06:52:00.001-08:00

Back to blogging...Christmas day 2008 brought lots of change for our family. While we had been looking for a new home for a couple of years, we finally found one. We scheduled our closing for December 17th and quickly decided that we would wait to tell the girls until Christmas morning. They knew we were looking and had even gone to see some homes with us, but they had never seen this house. We created an elaborate plan to surprise them. We had been planning to stay in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere for Christmas this year. As far as the girls knew, that was still the plan. We told them we wouldn't be able to leave until late on Christmas eve, but that we would be able to wake up Christmas morning in the "cabin." We packed sleeping bags and presents and headed out for what would be a couple hour drive. And we did drive for a couple hours. As we had hoped, the girls finally fell asleep and we crossed our fingers they would stay asleep as we returned into town. We pulled into our new garage, unloaded the van, and told the girls they would have to go immediately to bed. We "slept" on the floor of our new family room in front of the fireplace, next to the tree I had previously put up. Eric and I did little sleeping as Kallen wasn't keen on sleeping in a play yard and I was too worked up to sleep. Christmas morning, after we had opened gifts, we let the girls investigate this "cabin" with Kora's room being the final room to see. I had spent time between the 17th and Christmas day decorating Kora's room--painting, hanging photos of her, and having her room ready to move in to as we had feared that Kora might take the big change hardest. They walked into her room and quickly turned to Eric and I to ask, "wait, is this OUR house?" We later found out that Katherine had awaken briefly on the drive the night before and had done some puzzling in her head to conclude that we indeed had found a new house and we going to it. Luckily, she chose not to divulge her ideas as Kora remained perfectly surprised! The girls absolutely love their new home and their bedrooms. Kora has barely returned to the old house since--only to get her things. We moved completely into the new home over Christmas break and about a month later, finally put our old house on the market. It's been a crazy ride but we are slowly settling in and loving finally having a basement. The Aunts--Marlo and Melanie--have already come out to visit to help with all the moving. Grandpa and Grandma Beeman will be here next week to see their grandchildren and help with some minor home improvements that I can't tackle alone. Certainly, it was a Christmas to remember and to probably never be topped!!

Katherine Becomes a Teenager!!!

2009-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

I am at least a couple weeks behind on my blogging, but I will attempt to keep events in chronological order. Katherine had her 13th birthday on Dec 22nd. We had a very quiet low-key celebration as she's just "too old" for big birthday productions anymore... Kora insisted on making her breakfast in bed and then opening the presents first thing in the morning. She did indulge us by actually blowing out a couple candles on her cake. She spent the evening at home hanging out with her good friend, Morgan. Incredibly hard to believe we are already here, in the teenage years, with Katherine. Happy Birthday, my dear!

Kora's New Look...

2008-12-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well, the note came home from the school nurse--Kora has failed her vision test. Naturally, I was skeptical as this is Kora we are talking about and she has been a little envious of Katherine's glasses in the past. However, I made the appointment and we went in to see our Eye Doctor. Incredibly enough, Kora was not misleading anyone and she does, in fact, need glasses. This could explain her misspelled 'challenge words' that she copied off the board and swore that was how her teacher had spelled them. She picked out a pair of glasses that were closest to her favorite color--aqua. She was so excited to go to school to day after we picked up the glasses. I have to admit that I believe she is pretty stinking cute in them. What do you think?

Giving Thanks for a Fun Weekend...

2008-12-04T08:24:00.001-08:00

Our Thanksgiving this year was pretty fun. My sisters came to visit. Katherine and Kora love to see Aunts Marlo and Melanie and Kallen warmed up to them as well. Just before dinner, Marlo took Katherine and Kora on a mission of desperation as I had run out of milk and needed some for the mashed potatoes. They all went to the store in their pajamas. Also just before dinner, we caught a photo of Kallen looking about like I felt after the long day of cooking and cleaning up. The day after Thanksgiving we all took our annual trip to the tree farm to find our tree--we went with the Scotch Pine this year. I love the photo of Eric and the girls that I got while we were riding on the wagon going out to the trees. All in all, a fun weekend. Thanks to Marlo and Mel for making the trip out. Next time you visit, we promise to have a better grip on the clutter to ease Katherine's anxieties over an unkempt home.

A Day in the Mouth of Kallen!

2008-11-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

Kallen is absolutely an oral baby! Kora was as well. Katherine never put anything unusual in her mouth and still doesn't(I think she eats like five different foods, if we are lucky)! In just one day, I snapped photos every time I found Kallen with something new in her mouth. The choking hazards I am dealing with on a daily basis are daunting. If I find another tootsie roll wrapper in the roof of her mouth, I just might lose it...

Kallen's Epipen...Do I hear a Mother of the Year nomination?

A Polly Pocket dress--nice and chewy soft on the gums.

A sock. For some reason, she is especially fond of chewing on her socks. I can't keep her toes warm as she constantly yanks off the socks so that she can chew on them.

And finally, a noisy toy of Kora's.

Our Indian Summer

2008-11-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

The weather for this last week has been unseasonable warm. Everyday ends up being in the 70's! Eric has mowed the lawn, the girls have been outside playing, and I took the chance to get some fun fall photos of Kallen with Katherine's help.

The Exersaucer--Toddler Style

2008-11-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

Kallen has absolutely loved her exersaucer! She is just too active and busy to be confined to it anymore. So, I tried using it as it is meant to be used for a toddler by removing the seat and opening it up so that she can play inside. I had my doubts as Kora never really used it this way. Kallen still absolutely loves her exersaucer. She will crawl into it and stand there in it, playing for fairly large chunks of time. It's quite fun to watch.

Halloween Just Past...

2008-11-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

It's still weird to be Trick-or-Treating in the daylight but I get to take photos outside! The girls had a great time collecting as much sugar as possible. Today we take down the Halloween decorations and get ready for Thanksgiving--things should be crazy until midway through January...

Katherine--The Bride of Frankenstein

Kora--A Creepy, Yet Kinda Cute Bat

Kallen--Our Little Tootsie Roll

Halloweens Past...

2008-10-31T10:05:00.001-07:00

Last year's costumes-Katherine the mime and Kora the Lawyer as was my very first photo blog one year ago. 2007

OK, so here's where I win Mother of the Year! Katherine was actually a Hershey bar this year and we have NO photo of it. This is a photo of Katherine in September of that year--Katherine the Polka Dot! Kora went as Candy Corn. I loved the absence of sewing this year. 2006

I loved both of these costumes. Katherine was Spiderella and Kora was a "fairy-witch". This year's sewing was beyond ambitious. 2005

Pirates invaded in 2004!

This year we had a cute little witch and a most precious mummy--had to add the solo mummy photo. These photos were taken with a roll of black and white film (so bummed when I got the pictures back because Kora's mummy bow was a great purple color). 2003

This year, the whole family joined in to be the Scooby Gang and no photo of all of us. Here's Katherine as Daphne and Kora as Velma. 2002

This year the girls and I were the three Power Puff girls, but I didn't get a good photo of the 3 of us--pre digital camera capabilities. The girls are posing here with a good friend, Beau. 2001

A big sewing project with Katherine's medieval princess. I borrowed Kora's jester costume for her 1st Halloween, just 1 month old. 2000

Raggedy Ann and some sewing...1999

I loved this scarescrow costume! 1998

An adorable Cat in the Hat! 1997

Katherine's very first Halloween. We didn't actually do a costume for her but I found this photo that was taken about a week before Halloween--close enough, right?

My Sensational 'S' Selections

2008-10-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so my friend, Lish, "tagged" me with the letter S. Apparently this means that I am to blog about some significant S words. I have compiled a fairly brief list so as not to bore you all. I thought it might be fun to go with opposites as we all know the importance of "opposition in all things."

Sincerity and Sarcasm--I grew up on much sarcasm but have grown to cherish the elusive sincerity of close friends.

Savior and Satan--My everyday motivation and my everyday adversary.

Songs and Silence--I live through music and songs, I treasure moments of complete silence (especially through the night!).

Sex and Selibacy--I had to include sex (a keystone of marriage and lots of fun) and yes, I know celibacy is spelled with a C but it sounds like an S. By the way, not so much into celibacy myself...;)

Sacrifice/Service and Selfishness--More sacrifice, less selfishness would be good for anyone!

Shopping and Saving--I so enjoy both but they tend to be mutually exclusive...what's a girl to do?

Saturday and Sunday--A day to play catch-up on terrestrial things, a day to play catch-up on celestial things! Love them both!

Happy, Healthy(?) Kallen...We hope!

2008-10-29T06:16:00.001-07:00

Well, it's now been 6 weeks since Kallen's tubes were put in and consequently since her last ear infection! She has been sleeping fantastically! We still have yet to meet with the allergist so for now we are sticking to her soy formula and the 6 veggies and 8 fruits that we know she isn't allergic to. Kallen is having lots of fun (and falls) cruising around the furniture. She has discovered many other rooms in the house and I have to keep her away from all sorts of fun potential messes. She loves her tunnel toy and was so happy to get to hold and chew on the Halloween card that Grandma Beeman sent to her. I LOVE this age!

Sister Love

2008-10-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Katherine and Kallen were having a little moment on the couch but as soon as I got the camera out to capture that moment, Kora had to jump in for the photo op!

Kallen at 9 Months

2008-10-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Kallen is officially nine months old now. We took her for her 9-month photo shoot at which she did great! At her doctor's check-up, she weighed in at 16 pounds, 12 ounces. She is 28 inches long. She is both my heaviest and longest 9-month old child yet. The doctor is quite pleased with her development and is guessing that she'll be even more mobile very soon. She doesn't; however, expect that Kallen will be cutting any teeth within the next couple of months. My guess is, Kallen will get her first tooth around the one-year mark like Kora did. Now, if we could just figure out her allergies before she gets enough teeth to want to try all sorts of new foods...

Our First 911 Adventure!

2008-10-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

Turns out there is something in milk-based formula that Kallen really is allergic to. We thought we should go ahead and use up the free formula given to us when Kallen was born. We have been told that Kallen is NOT allergic to milk so we thought nothing of using this formula. Within 2 minutes and two ounces of the formula, Kallen was in the throws of a full-on allergic reaction. Her breathing became very labored, she was crying, her face was red, and I was trying desperately to make a quick decision. I called her pediatrician's office, they immediately insisted I call 911. I did. I also called Eric to inform him that I had made the call and he should get home fast. The ambulance arrived, Eric arrived, and Kallen's little body had vomitted up everything in her stomach. She went almost instantly limp, her eyes rolled back in her head and I was a mess. As it turns out, we are very lucky that Kallen did vomit. Had her body not been able to get rid of the food, she probably would have stopped breathing completely. Within 10 or 15 minutes of vomitting, she started to "come alive" again. By the time we arrived at Children's Hospital ER, I was feeling like maybe we didn't need to make such a production--although everyone assured me that I did the right thing. The only thing that I should have done differently, I am told, is that I should have grabbed Kallen's epi-pen and injected her with it. I was, sadly, too frantic to think to do that. Today, Kallen is just fine. She is on a steady dose of Benedryl for the next couple of days to make sure that everything is out of her system. She is eating only foods and formulas that I know she is absolutely NOT allergic to and we have an appointment with the top food allergy specialist at Children's to find out exactly what caused this reaction and anyting else that may cause reactions. Kallen is keeping us on our toes and I will gladly remain on my toes as long as I need to in order to keep her safe and healthy!

Kora's Great (Wolf) Birthday Party!

2008-10-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Kora was beyond excited to have her big birthday party at the Great Wolf Lodge. All the children had a great time swimming and playing in the arcade. One of the kids was so good at one of the arcade games that he won spikey balls for everyone! Katherine got to invite a good friend of hers so that she could enjoy all the waterslides that the younger children weren't brave enough to try. Kallen fully enjoyed the water and then promptly crashed out for a nap.

Kallen Crawls!

2008-10-08T07:48:00.001-07:00

After several weeks of the "wounded soldier/inchworm", Kallen officially mastered the art of crawling last week. She has also followed this up with pulling herself up to standing against anything that will hold still long enough. She is loving her further mobility and frustrated that she can't yet keep herself steadily balanced while standing. Soon the bruises will begin to appear...

Kora's Baptism

2008-09-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Kora has finally turned 8 years old! She was so excited to get baptized that we held her baptism on the morning of her birthday! The baptism was quite beautiful. Katherine spoke on the Gift of Holy Ghost. Kora told me just after being baptized that she couldn't believe how good she felt. Grandma Barbara and Aunts Marlo and Melanie came to town to be here for Kora. We were also thrilled to have the Seiler family (Kyle and Raegan), the Heft family (Keegan and Kameron), the Lahrmer family (long-time good friends), and the Neudecker family (next-door neighbors) all in attendance. Now, our attentions can be turned to the upcoming birthday party at Great Wolf Lodge!

Kallen Gets Her Tubes!

2008-09-29T07:08:00.001-07:00

Kallen--at all of 8 months old--got tubes in her ears! She ended up having one more ear infection just a couple days before the surgery for a total of 5 ear infections in 4 months!! The surgery went very quickly and without incident. Since then, all we've noticed is that she talks all the time. She's still just as happy and is sleeping very well. Here's hoping our ear infection sagas are history.
Kallen just before we left for the hospital...

Kallen just after returning home from the hospital...

Ike Damage

2008-09-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

Who would have quessed that Cincinnati would have been almost entirely incapacitated by Ike? We got very little rain but ended up with hurricane winds all the way in Southern Ohio! Our home was without power for four days and without cable, phone, and internet for five days! We did a lot of sleeping as there was NOTHING else to do!! We've never appreciated our electricity as much as we do now. There is still some fixing to do at the corner of the house that the tree came down on but we are all good.

Kallen Update

2008-09-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

Kallen is happy as ever...despite her constant battle with allergies. Her latest ear infection sent us to an ENT doctor. Yes, she's getting tubes in her ears this month. Since she is so young, we will likely have to have another set of tubes put in at some point but right now, I am just looking to have more than a month go by without another ear infection. We did find out from the allergist that her food allergies will likely go away within these first couple of years--except for the peanut allergy which is typically as lifelong allergy (I'll happily eat her Reese cups).

Kallen absolutely loves her bathtime!! She could sit in there for hours, so I've decided to bring stuff to do into the bathroom whenever it is bathtime so she can indulge in her water fun!
While she hasn't officially figured out all the logistics to crawling, Kallen certainly gets wherever she wants to go. She loves to get into things already. Shortly after this photo was taken, she turned around and started pulling the books out.

The Official End to Summer

2008-08-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

After what feels like the shortest summer yet, the girls headed back to school this morning. They were both pretty excited and a lot of nervous. Katherine probably got only a couple hours of sleep last night thanks to her nerves. She is ready to have the first day of 7th grade over so that she can relax a little. Kora was happy to get to meet her teacher on Monday so that she didn't feel as nervous. Poor Kallen has lost her entertainment during the days. Luckily she naps so much that she won't really get a chance to miss them before they return home. Katherine's school day starts a 6:50AM with the bus and ends when the bus drops her off at 2:40PM. Kora leaves at 8:30AM and gets back home around 4:15PM. Another school year is under way!

Summer Goodbyes...

2008-08-20T06:17:00.001-07:00

As Eric had acquired a young, eager car for Father's Day, we all knew the time would come to say farewell to our old, reliable Saturn. We are happy to say that we raised a nice bit of money for United Way as we auctioned off the infamous car. I took one last drive, got far too emotional than is acceptable, and remembered some fantastic life moments. Eric drove that Saturn across the country to marry me in Washington, DC. We drove it back to Utah to finish with school. We brought both Katherine and Kora home from the hospital in the Saturn. That Saturn was our only car up until just 5 years ago. We were sad to say goodbye but happy to know that the Saturn has found a kind, new owner who intends to drive the car for several more years. Plus, we were granted visitation rights...

Summer Hiking

2008-08-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Eric and I insisted that the family get out to really enjoy nature at least once this summer. Kallen loved the baby backpack, Kora ended up as our enthusiastic trail guide, and Katherine wondered aloud--often--when we would be returning to the comforts of home.

Summer Swimming

2008-08-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

The girls and I spent most of our summer just hanging out--much of the hanging out involved water. Katherine got into sunbathing, Kora could swim all day long, and Kallen found she really enjoyed splashing.

Kallen is 6 months old!

2008-07-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

Kallen officially reached the half-year mark. Her check-up at the doctor went well. She has officially become our largest 6-month old child weighing in at 14 pouunds, 1 ounce. She is absolutely loving her veggies--all of them. We haven't started on any fruits yet. We are pacing ourselves since we have found out that she is allergic to peanuts, eggs, and wheat. Fruit may be the only source of variety we have to offer her in the next year or so. Kallen's schedule has become even better as she eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then a pre-bed bottle. She still sleeps from 9PM until 7 or later each day. She's such a fun little girl.

Red, Rhythm, and Boom--Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

While the weather made us all nervous, we were fortunate enough to have a nearly completely dry 4th of July celebration here in Mason. Credence Clearwater Revisited(2 of the original group) was the music for the night. The activities and food kept the kids happy until the fantastic fireworks show. Kallen absolutely loved her first fireworks--she has no negative issues with loud noises. *Katherine ditched the family early on in the evening to spend time hanging with her girlfriends so she doesn't appear in any of our photos.*

Kallen and her toys

2008-07-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Kallen has become amazingly active these last several weeks. She loves to be in her exersaucer, hang out in her Bumbo seat, go on bike rides, and chill with her sisters. She's also been packing on the weight. She now sleeps from 8 or 9 PM until 7 or 8AM. I am really loving this routine! I think it all started once she discovered she could sleep however she wanted to--she's a belly sleeper now. We are looking forward to her 6-month check-up next week to see how much she weighs and discuss all her food allergies--she apparently has a few. I'll keep you posted.

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

After talking about it for the last couple of years and knowing that Eric was never going to get around to really shopping himself, I went ahead and researched, shopped for, and bought Eric a new car! I was able to do it all without him finding out until he came home from work the Friday before Father's Day and saw it parked in our driveway. The girls were excited (especially Katherine as she had grown rather embarrassed of the old Saturn--we have so loved that car and it will be missed if we ever get rid of it: notice it's still sitting in front of our house). Lucky for me, Eric absolutely loves his Nissan Altima and everyone at the office is so pleased that he finally graduated from the Saturn. I do; however, enjoy reminding him that this new car is entirely in my name so he lets me drive it on weekends when I am running errands.

Katherine's Dancing Days

2008-06-24T14:06:00.001-07:00

Katherine had her dance recital recently (actually on Father's Day). She has decided to set aside her dancing shoes for now so that starting Junior High in the fall, she won't feel too busy.

I, naturally, took a moment to remember all these last 8 years worth of costumes. Which is your favorite?

Katherine's New Look

2008-06-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed in the Memorial Day photos, Katherine now officially needs to wear glasses. She held out a couple years longer than Mom though that doesn't make her any less put out. She's already asking when she can get Lasik surgery!!

Memorial Weekend Whirlwind Trip...one month late

2008-06-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

The girls were excited to see all their cousins on our quick trip to Idaho. We had a crazy couple of days but made it to Idaho and back again with little incident. The girls did get to see everyone of their cousins and Kora begged not to leave Idaho. She and cousins Hayden and Corbin were inseparable the whole weekend. (Be sure to click on the photo to see the entire photo book I put together!)

Memorial Weekend in Idaho

Kallen at 4 Months

2008-05-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Kallen has had a rather eventful couple of weeks. After having a bad cold for more than a week, I realized that she probably had gotten an ear infection. After 3 different trips to the doctor and discovering that her ears are so tiny that the doctors need to use a special tip to look into her ears, she did in fact have a double ear infection. Once she got on the antibiotic, she was our happy baby again. Thanks to her illness, she lost weight. At her official 4-month check up, Kallen weight just 10 pounds, 12 ounces! My girls have each been very little but this was taking it a little far.

More Catching up...

2008-05-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Kora has had so much fun on her soccer team this season. Only one more game and she is already done with the spring season. I have already signed her up for the fall again.

Kora also recently had her Spring piano recital. Kora played two pieces and did an amazing job. Her teacher was very impressed!

Playing Catch-Up...

2008-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Katherine's DARE essay was chosen as one of the 3 winning essays out of more than 300 students. She was terrified but did read her essay in front of the crowd of more than 1,000 at her DARE Graduation. The DARE program is a part of the Health curriculum in 6th grade. And yes, Dad did get in trouble for kissing Katherine on stage "in front of everyone!"

Something for Everyone

2008-04-29T08:04:00.001-07:00

April turned out to be a pretty busy month. I can't believe it is nearly over.

Kallen worked on her balance and successfully got even cuter!
Kora started up a new season of soccer. We all froze on the sidelines watching her first game!
Katherine showed off her viola skills at her spring concert. I was so wishing I had had my new telephoto lens for my camera at this concert.

Our Trip to the Photo Studio--Kallen @ 3 months

2008-04-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanks to a gift certificate we received when Kallen was born, I was reminded that professional photos are a nice opportunity with a new baby. After a pretty successful yet very lengthy stint at the local photo studio, we captured some priceless images. Enjoy!

Our New England Spring Break 2008

2008-04-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Our New England Spring Break 08Click on this link to see some of the other photos from Spring Break!

After Easter Sunday, we headed off to explore 6 states that none of us had ever visited before--Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachussetts, Maine, and Vermont. While touring these states, we stopped to see several sights--Yale University, Newport Mansions in RI, Boston, Plymouth Rock, John Irving's home town of Exeter, NH, a really quaint Bed and Breakfast in Bristol, NH, and Sharon, VT (birthplace of Joseph Smith). It was a whirlwind trip during which all of us except Kallen succumbed to a miserable flu/respiratory infection. Aw, the memories we will treasure...

Kallen Meets the Grandparents Beeman

2008-04-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

We all traveled to North Eastern Pennsylvania for Easter weekend. Kallen got to meet Grandpa and Grandma Beeman while her sisters hunted through the house for Easter eggs.

Kallen is Blessed

2008-03-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

Kallen had a special day yesterday as her father got to bless her at church. She was wide awake and silent throughout the blessing. She even held off with eating once we got home so that Mom could get a photo of the whole family together. Kallen is certainly a very pleasant little girl.

Daddy Love

2008-03-13T06:57:00.001-07:00

Always looking to maximize productivity, Eric multi-tasks. Kallen is happy to get her Daddy time however she can!

Meeting Kallen

2008-03-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Kallen got to meet her Aunt Wendy, cousin Sara, and cousin Scooter. They all came to town to train with Scooter's new service dog. Sara came along from Idaho to help Wendy out. Scooter quickly became rather interested in Kallen's diapers. He also help keep her pacifier in her mouth.

The Snow Bunker/Fort

2008-03-13T06:10:00.001-07:00

Once the snow finally stopped, Katherine, Kora and Aunt Wendy all went out to build a snow fort. Kora ended up doing more supervising. Katherine and Wendy enjoyed building the walls. Some blue food coloring gave the fort some added pizazz!

All the shoveling...

2008-03-13T06:01:00.001-07:00

Eric became obsessed with keeping up on all the shoveling that needed to be done. Luckily for him, Aunt Wendy and cousin Scooter were in town to help out! After clearing our driveway to his satisfaction, Eric caught a ride on a city snow plow to check out road conditions throughout the city.

Cincinnati Blizzard 2008!

2008-03-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

The entire city braced itself for what was predicted to be this area's biggest snow storm in 30 years. I didn't believe all the hype until I actually witnessed the day and a half of near continual snowfall. In the end, we here in Mason got somewhere around a foot and a half of snow. While we were stuck in the house the entire weekend, it was great fun to watch all the snow accumulate.

We're ALL smiles!!

2008-02-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Since Kallen's birth, we have all been waiting for the big day when she would knowingly smile at us. Luckily for us, she delivered her first full smile right at 6 weeks. Naturally, Mom was anxious to capture the moment in a photo. While she didn't offer one of her wide open-mouthed smiles, she was kind enough to indulge us with a darling little grin--but not before giving us some other looks. The blog will have to wait a bit longer for some bigger smiles.

The Good Sister

2008-02-21T16:27:00.001-08:00

Kallen is already meeting all of her sibling obligations. She posed along with her sisters in their matching skirts, mostly to appease her mother. She visited Kora's class for the Valentine's party and let numerous second graders ogle and coo at her. Finally, she is successfully feigning interest in Katherine's computer games just to spend some time with her oldest sister! Kallen is aiming to take the "Best Baby Sister of the Year" prize.

Kallen's Already 1-Month Old!

2008-02-18T17:42:00.001-08:00

As is tradition in the Hansen home, we took a moment to celebrate baby's one-month birthday! Yes, Kallen is already one-month old! Aunt Melanie was recruited to bake the cake--a Pina Colada delight. Kallen was a bit less than thrilled given that she wouldn't get to actually eat any of the cake.
Kallen and Dad pose for a close-up. Everyone says that Kallen looks just like her father--what do you think?
Following the festivities, Kallen took a much-needed nap--she crashed out completely in Daddy's arms.

Some Favorite Photos...so far

2008-02-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

It's a well-known rule in the house--Eric's is the official sleeping shoulder for Kallen (and any other willing children, for the matter). Now that Kallen is awake more often, the shoulder napping isn't as frequent but we have been able to capture some great photos--love the red highlights in her hair! This sleeping position had us all laughing! Kallen actually held that position for several minutes before relaxing her arms back down.

Everything is a First!

2008-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Katherine was thrilled to figure out how to get in on some of the snuggling. Suddenly, Katherine seems like she's nearly an adult.

Kallen isn't a big fan of the full-on bath. She much prefers the less-thorough sponge bath but we insisted. Bath time ends up being very brief, following which Kallen sleeps rather soundly.

Kora was thrilled to be given the honor of delivering Kallen's very first bottle. Kora did a great job and Kallen drank it all right down.

Kallen Grace arrives!!

2008-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2008

Kallen Grace Hansen joins the family! She weighed 7lbs, 9oz. and was 20 and a half inches long. Her arrival was fairly uneventful, which was nice for all. We are all having a great time getting to know this new little person. Katherine & Kora have been loving her, holding her, kissing her, and anxiously waiting for her to do something entertaining. For now, just being awake is entertaining enough!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

The girls pose for the annual Christmas card photo. Mom and Dad opt out of the photo shoot this year to make life easier for everyone involved.

Katherine and Kora have a great Christmas morning--we were even able to capture a rare display of sisterly affection as everyone was in such a good mood.

Thanksgiving Trip

2007-12-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

We took our last chance to really travel before this new baby comes. For Thanksgiving we visited Utah. We saw several friends and visited many sights. While we insisted on visiting Temple Square, the girls insisted on visiting East High--where High School Musical was filmed! We had a great time but came home needing another vacation. We are now just about ready to lock the doors and cocoon for the next month.

Hansen Baby's 1st Photo Shoot

2007-11-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

We quickly discovered that this little baby girl is pretty stubborn and camera shy. She kept her feet, both of them, over her face during the entire 4D ultrasound session. We captured a couple shots thanks to a persistant ultrasound technician. Katherine and Kora liked seeing her hand so clearly. All five fingers...

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

The girls could barely stand to wait until Trick-or-Treating officially began. Katherine decided to be a mime this year--a good excuse to not have to talk to anyone. Kora opted to be a Little Lawyer (still not certain why she decided on that but we think she turned out to be the cutest lawyer we've ever seen)! Obviously, neither of the girls have a problem posing for the camera!

The start of something new...

2007-11-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

While I know very little about creating a family blog, I have been encouraged by more than a couple of friends to just do it. I hope to learn more as times goes on, but can't promise anything spectacular. Wish me luck!