Another Reason Why I LOVE This House

We spend so much time out on our new patio.  There is a fire pit in the lower right corner of this photo, which we haven't used too much because of the heat and dry conditions, but we spent at least 3 hours just sitting out on our new furniture and chatting the other evening.  Notice the girls' bikes in the background?  There is plenty of room for them to ride on the patio, as well as in the driveway and front sidewalk.  We have certainly done a great job of eating meals outside too.  The table is on the other side, over by the grill.  Some of our new neighbors even came over and shared a pizza dinner with us as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift.

Hot Fun in the Summer

Even though it's been ridiculously hot around here the past few weeks, we have done our share of getting out and beating (maybe bearing with it, is a better way to put it) the heat.

Last Saturday we joined some friends for a Ralph's World concert at Ravinia.  The girls LOVED singing and dancing together.

                                      

Lauren and Annie discovered they can both ride on our tire swing together.  Oh and of course Lauren has a baby with her.  Lately both girls have been carrying babies with them everywhere.  We even take their toy strollers out on walks around our new neighborhood.  I hope their love for babies continues...

Classic shot of Annie with two HUGE pieces of watermelon in her hands.  I have never seen anyone eat so much watermelon so quickly.  She doesn't even let me cut it for her these days.  She just grabs the pieces off the plate and gobbles them up.  Guess that's her way of staying cool and hydrated!

4th of July

Daddy and Lauren at the Highland Park 4th of July Parade

Our little patriots

What a wonderful 4th of July we had as a family!  The day started with a fantastic parade in Highland Park with lots of bands and candy.  The girls did plug their ears and Annie held my hand when all the trucks with sirens went by.   It was hot out in the sun, but we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Then we went to a delicious BBQ at our friends, Amanda and Alan's house.

After an afternoon of napping by all 4 Hansons, we packed up and left for Lake Forest's 4th of July celebration.  Our new neighbors invited us so we joined them and a few other families to hear Kenny Loggins and watch the fireworks.  Not only was there a beautiful sunset right before the fireworks, but the moon rose with a golden hue as the fireworks were lighting up the sky.  Even though the heat was more than reasonable, all four of us thoroughly enjoyed our day together.  I believe Geoff's exact quote was, "What a thoroughly satisfying day!"

5 am Wake Up

About a week ago Geoff and I enjoyed a wonderful evening relaxing at Ravinia while listening to Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Callat.  When we were eating dinner I explained to Geoff that I am really starting to get anxious about this new little bundle coming sooner rather than later.  

Well, those anxieties didn't go away at all last week, in fact they only become stronger.  While talking with my mom and a few friends, I seriously stated that I am not ready for this baby any time before September (Aug 9th is my due date).  I guess I feel like the girls and I are in a great place right now and have a really great daily schedule going.  All of this will change immediately with the addition of this little one.  

At the same time, we are not ready for a new baby.  Until this morning we didn't have a car seat and we still don't have a crib for this baby to sleep in.  Last Friday I woke up a 5 in the morning freaking out about everything that should be done before the baby is born.  Thank goodness for my friend, Laura who had the latest version of the Baby Bargains book and helped me with some car seat questions early in the morning.  I was able to calm down after I determined the best car seat for us and feel even better now after we made a family trip to Babies R Us to pick up a car seat.  

Then, as I was looking through some old photos I found these pictures of Lauren and Annie when they were just days old.  Who could resist such adorable little faces?  With all that being said, I am really looking forward to finding out if Lauren and Annie will have a little brother or sister.  And cuddling with a tiny baby is one of the best feelings in the world.  Ready or not, we will have a lovely addition to our family within the next month and we can't wait to meet this new little Hanson.    

Newborn Lauren

Newborn Annie

4 and a half weeks left...

Video Updates

Annie's vocabulary has exploded this past month.  She still gets frustrated when she can't get all her opinions across, but tries using new words each day.  We can't wait to hear more of her little voice as she begins using phrases too.

Lauren has become such a wonderful helper all around the house.  Not only does she help in the kitchen, but she is always willing to pick things up off the floor for me.  Bending down these days is not always the easiest!  She loves helping at the grocery store too.  Let's hope this stage lasts long into the future, as I am going to need all the help I can get really soon.

Top 5 Reasons I Love Our New Home

Our New Playroom


1.  Hosting playdates is so enjoyable with all the space for the kids to play inside and the great swing set in the backyard, not to mention all the room I have in the kitchen to prepare lunches.

2.  I can wake up before the rest of the family and actually get things done without walking on creaking hardwood floors, waking everyone else up.

3.  The sounds of laughter and little footsteps running all around the house while I make dinner is so much better than being worried that one of the girls is going to run into something and get hurt.

4.  I have my OWN sink in our master bathroom.

5.  We all just seem so much more relaxed and comfortable.  (Not to mention, Geoff's grumblings about us living in a doll house have stopped!) 

Congrats Sam!

Congrats to my cousin, Samantha who finished up her high school career and gave us all reason to come down to Florida and celebrate!  She will be moving on to Florida State University in the fall.  

Before Sam's party, the Hanson family took a little day trip to St. Augustine to check out the oldest city in America.  I have always wanted to go on a carriage ride and because it was my birthday, Geoff granted my wish.  Here we are with the horse (Barney) and carriage before our trip around town.  Half way through the trip Lauren was lucky enough to be invited up front and she spent the rest of the ride helping to steer the horse.

Here are a few photos from Sam's party.  Annie just LOVED wearing the huge sunglasses.  She and Lauren have always been interested in sunglasses so of course the minute Annie found the large ones she was very intrigued.  

Aunt Deb is always so gracious to our little girls so of course she had a Dora phone and guitar, along with princess toys waiting for us.  Lauren loved rocking out with the guitar.  

Here's our funny family shot....only would have been sillier if Jonboy would have been able to make the trip.  

Annie just loves her beads and Lauren already told me she would like a princess party for her 4th birthday.  

A photo of all the cousins and spouses.  Cousin Sam is in the middle wearing the beautiful blue and white dress.  

Thanks again to the entire Williams family for throwing such an amazing graduation party!  Spending an entire weekend with family, along with all the party festivities was a great way to spend my birthday weekend.