Amy for Christmas

Apparently we are getting a really cute little 2-year old girl for Christmas this year! Check out the photos! We must have been REALLY good for Santa to drop her off so early.

Oh ... that's right ... I actually gave birth to this little person a couple of years ago. I just forgot for a few minutes when Uncle Rocco brought her upstairs in a box and put her under the tree! As you can see the two of them found this to be VERY FUNNY!

Matthew also got a turn being delivered to the tree, but unfortunately the box broke before we could get a picture of it :(

Oh ... Uncle Rocco ... what would we do without you?

Thanksgiving 2009

Another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. I have eaten myself silly, and had a great day spending time with family.

I actually look forward to this holiday all year. Not only do I love the opportunity to eat ridiculous amounts of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie - but I love the opportunity to reflect upon what I am most thankful for in my life.

This is the short list that I came up with (in no particular order) as I looked back upon this year so far. I am thankful for ...

• My husband - We have been married for about 9 1/2 years, and I still feel like I am getting to know him some days. I like that our relationship continues to evolve, and that we can still learn from one another after all this time. He is a wonderful father to our children, and for that I am thankful every day. He is teaching me to be patient (God help him), and I am so very proud of his latest venture and all of the work that he puts into it.

• My kids - I know that this seems like an obvious one, but I really do love my kids. We butt heads a lot (especially Matthew and I), but I am thankful that they are healthy, and funny, and smart and incredibly strong-willed. Parenting these qualities will certainly bring us challenges along the way, but I know they will serve them well down the road.

• Our families - We are lucky to have so many people that we love living nearby. Both my Mom and Arik's parents are still in Woodbury. Between the two of them, we get to go out on a date almost every weekend. We know that is rare for couples with small children, and we never ever take it for granted. We are so thankful for the breaks that you give us (note bullet point above regarding strong-willed children). In addition to our parents, we have Rocco and Meg here in Minneapolis, and Aaron just moved in across the lake! Each of you play such an important role in our lives and the lives of our children. I can't be thankful enough for that!

• My job - In tough economic times, I am thankful to have a job. Not only am I thankful for the financial security that it brings our family, but I am thankful that it still continues to challenge and excite me. Not everyone likes what they do. Most days ... I still like what I do. I work with some incredible people, and I am proud to call many of them my friends. In fact, with the amount of time we spend together, I almost feel like some of them are an extended piece of my family!

• My boss - Not only do I have the opportunity to work WITH great people, I also work FOR a great person. I will be reporting to someone new in 2010, but as I look back on this past year, I am so thankful for the role she has played in my life. She is a true leader, and someone that I hope will continue to be a mentor to me. She has supported me in my current role, but she has also allowed me to explore other opportunities to grow as both a person and a professional. She provides guidance when I need it, but for the most part, she just trusts me to do my job.

• My friends - I know I don't see most of you often, but know that I am still so thankful that all of you are part of my life. I have had so much fun re-connecting with a few of you this past year. Time just goes so fast, and everyone is so busy. When I think about that ... I should actually be thankful for the times that I don't see you guys too. This is because it means that you are all blessed with full and rich lives of your own! You are busy because you have boyfriends, and families, and jobs, and children, and all kinds of other commitments that make you happy.

• My mistakes - I know this seems like an odd one to end on, but I am actually learning to be thankful for my mistakes this year too. Nobody is perfect. Mistakes can be good for you - both personally and professionally - as long as you learn from them. They teach you to be accountable for your actions, to apologize when you need to, and to do things differently the next time.

With that, I will bid you all a Happy Thanksgiving 2009! Enjoy the photos, and as you go to sleep tonight, think about what you are most thankful for in your life.

Oh I wish I were an ....

Oscar Mayer Weiner! That's right, the "weinermobile" was just parked in front of our house for the past hour. Arik met the person who does social media for them at a conference he went to in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. He asked if he could get a ride in one of their cars the next time they were in Minneapolis.

He never actually thought he would hear from them ... but guess what? He did! He thought he would just get information on where they would be for a promotional event, but they actually contacted us and asked for our home address.

Such a riot!

It took a lot of convincing to get Matthew out there, but Amy loved it (and so did the neighbors). They gave the kids little red weiner whistles, and their own little stuffed weinermobiles. Hilarious! They even honked their horn a few times. As you probably guessed, the horn plays the Oscar Mayer weiner song :)

Such a fun way to end our Sunday afternoon!!

Fall Leaves

Nothing says Fall in Minnesota like a day of playing in the leaves. The kids and Arik were outside for about an hour raking up piles of leaves and jumping in them! They loved it, and we loved it because they ultimately napped like champs! Enjoy the photos!

Halloween 2009

Well ... a favorite holiday has come and gone - Halloween! We had a great time with the kids yesterday. After we fueled up on some much needed coffee, we kicked off the annual pumpkin carving. Just one pumpkin for us this year. The kids weren't big fans of scraping out the "guts," but they loved deciding which shape each of the features on the face would be.

As you can see, we aren't too high tech here in the Hanson house!!

The kids were so excited to put their costumes on after dinner. Matthew was dressed at Batman this year, and Amy was a spider. Both costumes were great. From the smiles on their faces, I think it is safe to say that they liked them too!

Grandma and Grandpa Hanson joined us for trick or treating this year. They were a great addition. We met up with the Studdifords over at their place, and did a two block circle with the four little kids.

Some of the neighbors went all out with decorations and sound effects. We thought Amy would be scared, but she totally loved it! The more noise and moving parts the better!

The kids were exhausted when we got home, and went to bed almost immediately. Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend! Enjoy the pictures!