Easter Weekend

We have had a great weekend together as a family. Friday night was a great Primary Activity about finding the true meaning of Easter. Saturday we started with finding some Easter treats in our backyard. Then we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at one of the parks nearby. They were set up by age group. We were in the Preschool group. I think the whole thing lasted about 2 minutes, if that. Our kids did great. They followed Dad's game plan by running to the middle and then picking up as many eggs as they could toward the back. They filled their baskets and were good sports. No shoving or pushing by the Hansens.

Brooks picked up one of the eggs with a prize ticket inside. He won a sand bucket full of more candy and toys. It was a lot of fun, but COLD.

Easter Sunday was very peaceful. We went to church and then had a yummy dinner together as a family. We are so thankful for all of our blessings. We are especially grateful to be a family and for the Atonement of our Savior. We have enjoyed teaching our children about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us. We are grateful for the promise of the Resurrection. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Final Four/One Month Old

Detroit was host to the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four this past weekend. Some of Dan's friends from High School came to town for the games. They had a great time finding tickets, going to the semi-final games, hanging out, selling their tickets to the final game, and watching the final game all together on TV.

Thanks to Mike, Jason, and Brandon for coming and thanks to Brian and Kelly for making this all happen.

Cute Maren is one month old already!! Where did that go? I mean I remember all the diapers and hours of sleep I missed, but that month went by so fast. Maren is SUCH a GOOD baby. She sleeps pretty well at night, nurses well, and takes a Binkey! She is starting to get cute rolls on her legs and chunky cheeks. Her brother and sister love her so much and are great helpers. We are so blessed to have Maren in our home.

Grandma's Visit

A few weeks ago Grandma Hansen came to visit us and see our new little Maren. She was a great help and fun to be with. We took her to Kirtland. It was a fun day trip.

Maren enjoyed all the attention from Grandma. I appreciated Grandma's help and company. We conquered going to the store with all 3 kids, lunch at the park, and eating dinner out. We can't wait till we live closer and we can see her often...only 3 more months!

It's a baby GIRL!!!

Maren Claire Hansen is celebrating her first birthday today! We are so glad to welcome her into the world and share some pictures. She came at 4:59am on March 5th. Both mother and child are doing well and are excited about what is to come. Maren weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and measured at 20.5 inches. We didn't think she would be such a big baby. Angie didn't seem as big this pregnancy. She has lots of fine blonde hair and a very round head. We'll leave it up to you to decide who she looks like. They will stay in the hospital one more night and come home in the morning. A more official birth announcement is sure to follow.

Sharing the Room

We are getting ready for our new little baby girl to join us. One big step was putting the two kids in the same room together. We found a new bed and dresser for Brooks, thanks to Craig's List. We moved Lainey's bed into Brooks' room. Then mom went about trying to make a cute girl side and boy side. The kids enjoy being together, although going to bed at night takes a lot longer. Lainey also likes to wake Brooks up in the morning when she wakes up. We have adjusted to this change pretty well, and look forward to our new little addition.

Brooks Preschool Interview

This was just to funny not to share. Every month Brooks' preschool does a newsletter. Each month they interview a few kids to find out about them. I just got this months newsletter and Brooks was picked to be interviewed. I'm not sure how long ago they asked him these questions, but it is so funny. I hope you enjoy! Interview with a Preschooler…… Name: Brooks Hansen Class: 4s Brothers or Sisters/ Ages (if known)? Lainey- 2 Pets (what kind(s), name(s))? No pets What kind of work does Daddy do? He works with tools. What kind of work does Mommy do? She watches the funny news. Favorite Food? Cereal- Froot Loops Favorite Color? Blue Favorite thing to do at school? Bowling Favorite thing to do at home? Play Candyland What do you want to be when you grow up? A Cowboy

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Everyone! We have had a crazy month, therefore we did not send out Christmas cards. We still wanted to say Hello and wish you a wonderful holiday season and a bright New Year.

We enjoyed a fun holiday season with preschool and church events. Angie taught her last dance session. She has taught dance for the past 5 1/2 years in Michigan. She will miss the kids, but is looking forward to focusing on her own 3 kids and helping Dan set up his Dermatology Practice.

We went to Utah to visit family the week before Christmas. Nana and Papa Miller are leaving for a mission to Australia, so we attended their farewell, retirement party, and fun family gatherings. We also had fun spending time with all our Hansen loved ones.

Then we flew home to Michigan, just in time for Christmas. We had a great day hanging out at home. The kids stayed in their jammies all day long. This blog would have come to you much sooner, but we have been without power for the past 2 1/2 days. It was quite the adventure camping in our house, we are very thankful to have lights and heat again. We are thankful to have such a great family and wonderful friends. We hope you have a great New Year!

Love,

Dan, Angie, Brooks, Lainey, and Baby Girl due in March

Brooks and I Did a Photo Shoot

Last week Brooks and I thought it would be fun to take pictures with the pretty Michigan leaves. The photos were he was laughing were my favorites. This last one is our smallest jack-o-lantern that we grew in our garden. Angie was the carving artist.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. Lainey was a "yellow princess"--Belle, and Brooks was a Spider. We a fun time at a Halloween Party at Brooks Preschool and Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. Daddy was a Spider Web at Brooks request. They loved saying trick-or-treat and Lainey told me, "Mom, I go up by myself. You stay here!" She is so independent. We are now enjoying their bounty. The kids mostly like the suckers, that leaves all the chocolate for Mom and Dad.

Weekend in Phillie

Last weekend the kids and Angie traveled 580 miles to Philadelphia to visit Chris, Kate, and baby Henry. Nana and Papa Miller were also there. We had a great time visiting, site-seeing, and eating.

The best part of the weekend was the blessing of Henry Joseph Miller. He is so sweet and a great addition to our extended family. His Mom and Dad are such good parents and love life with him in the big city.

Brooks and Lainey had fun playing with Uncle Chris at his "hotel". They helped the new parents get ready to baby-proof their place. Thanks for the fun weekend!! It was definitely worth the long drive.

A Fun Announcement

This is not such a new announcement for our friends that live here in Michigan, but we wanted to share our good news with all our friends and family. We are expecting another baby girl in March. We are excited to see our family grow. We are so blessed. We had the ultrasound on Monday, that evening we were talking to the kids about how we are having a baby sister. We asked them what we should name the baby. Brooks thought about it and then said very definitively, "We should call her Cookie." Dan smiled and laughed and said, "I think I will." We are so happy that it looks like Cookie is healthy and Mom is doing great too. This will be a fun adventure and we look forward to March.

Preschool and Apple Orchard

Brooks started a 4 year old preschool. It is a great preschool here on the Island. There are about 16 kids in his class. He goes 3 times a week for just over 2 hours. He loves all the activites and projects. Lainey enjoys taking him and picking him up. She loves seeing what he has done and carrying his bag.

These pictures were taken on the first day of school.

This week we went with his preschool class to an Apple Orchard and Cider Mill. We took a hayride out to pick apples. They grow dwarf apple trees so that the kids can pick their own apples. They enjoyed picking out the biggest ones. Then they showed us how they clean, sort, and make cider out of the apples. We ate fresh donuts and cider-yum!! It was a great day.

Mackinac Island Trip

We had a great trip to Mackinac Island (located between the two peninsulas of Michigan) this weekend. On the island, only bicycles and horses are allowed...no cars. The above picture was taken on the grounds of the Grand Hotel, where the movie "Somewhere in Time" was filmed. We also drove to the upper peninsula for the first time, but it was raining so hard we didn't stay long. The picture below shows the Mackinac bridge.

We rode our bicycles around the island and got caught in a heavy rainstorm. The kids fell asleep while hiding in the trees, but not until we had sung all the rain songs we could think of. I turned around in the car to see Brooks enjoying a car ride, being himself.

This is on Sugar Loaf rock, a limestone pillar that rises 75 ft above ground level. These are of the car-free streets on the island. Notice the numerous fudge shops, yum!

Lainey and I are riding outside on the front deck of the ferry to the island.