two letters today-- ambitious or lazy?

doesn't that face just scream 'i love animals! more dogs please!'

dyson, copen and hagen,


sorry kate froze in panic whenever any of you walked within 10 feet of her.
don't feel bad.
it's not you, it's her.
eventually we'll get a dog and she'll get over her fear of animals,
but that day is at least a year or two [or ten] away.
so until then, you guys will know her as 'the little girl who cries a lot'.
we apologize for this.

sincerely,
kate's mum

i don't think jancer or i ever stopped eating. we have a problem.

jank,


well, i survived.
[thanks to large quantities of pepsi, twizzlers, sour patch kids and s'mores]
i'm daring to call it the best camping trip to date.
driving back to g+g hansen's house at night was genius.
while you all froze in your tent [can't believe it snowed],
katers, your mom and i were toasty warm in a house.
it was the perfect plan-
all the good stuff about camping [campfires, 4 wheeler rides, family and nature]
but none of the grossness [not showering, shivering in a tent at night, eggs for breakfast]

thanks for making me go and for loving me despite my inability to love camping.

yours always [even when you haven't shaved in 4 days and smell like campfire smoke],
bug


ps. huge thank you to my galoshes. i've had them for about 5 years now and love them more each year. people like to make fun of them, but my toes are always warm and dry [a must when it rains all. day. long.] and they're mint green. you can't beat that.

.

meet kate episode five

let's just pretend i didn't skip 'meet kate' for  march and april.
turns out getting peanut to hold still for 2 minutes is hard work.
and when she did play along and stay still, all she would do is stare at herself in the camera viewer.
not exactly blog-worthy [but definitely cute]

so here's the fifth meet kate video.
it crazy to look back on the first one [just click on the 'meet kate' link at the bottom of this post]
she's growing up so fast.





hope everyone has a fabulous memorial weekend.



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reason #9823 why i love my imac

jank's trying to decide if he can branch out from baseball caps, hence the abundance of fedoras

dear photo booth:

you're not always flattering but you're always entertaining.
thank you.


ps. we're going camping for the long weekend [heaven help me]. my idea of 'roughing-it' is a cabin with heat/ac and a bed. this weekend is purely for jancer- i must really love him.

surviving the rain

liz:

we love when you come to play.
especially when it's rainy outside [which it has been for the past 5 billion years]
the day is full of excitement and toddler squabbles.
we invariably will make a pillow pile to jump into.
this activity lasts for a loooong time- it's a crowd pleaser for sure.

that belt has become a favorite. if kate's not wearing it, her stuffed rabbit is.

and when i've finally worn you two out,
we will snuggle with treats [twizzlers this time] and watch a movie.

lizamagoos, we love you!


ps, bb-- this is only a small [very small, tiny even] part of the day. the rest of it we spent eating fruits and vegetables and practicing letters, numbers and colors all while listening to classical music...... are you buying any of this???

music hour lasts all day

dear kitchen utensils:

my daughter intensely loves you.
every nite i walk around the apartment scooping you up.
funnels, whisks, measuring spoons are scattered everywhere after a day full of playing.

excuse the birthday streamers- i have taken them down now [and mourned them- they were so pretty!]

last nite i complained to jank that i was sick of finding you hidden throughout the house [and in our bed].
but then i thought about kate's face as she makes music with you.
she bangs on mirrors, the couch, and pots and pans with the whisks and spoons.
and sings [yells] through the funnel.

suddenly, i wasn't annoyed anymore.
because there is nothing as beautiful as seeing kate's face light up with joy.
and that's worth every teaspoon and whisk i find under my pillow.


.

jank's still whistling pomp and circumstance

dear pseudo-graduation:

saturday was grand.

jank donned his cap and gown and attended your event.

he was hooded and received his blank diploma holder

[real graduation for the PA program isn't until august- he'll receive his diploma then. saturday was a formality for the entire school of medicine]

the weather was perfect and peanut tolerated your 2.5 hour long ceremony surprisingly well.

[until she wanted to throw her headband over the balcony, that's when we left]

i got to catch up with friends-

consensus among the wives.... august 5th can't come soon enough!

we want to shop and dine out and not be single moms anymore.

[thanks to katie for sending me pictures of the ladies.

we deserve some credit since we're so wonderful and supportive 

and never complain about the program. nope not once]

miss kate was glued to jank's side.

i couldn't bribe her off of him.

a small group of us headed up to ruth's diner for lunch.

we dined on the patio and soaked up some sun-

after seemingly endless weeks of rain, some sunshine is what we all needed.

i love the men's hair-

the [dumb] graduation caps left dents.

i ordered the cheeseburger- something i never used to do but now it seems they're all i want.

[no, i'm not pregnant]

thanks pseudo-graduation for giving us all a chance to celebrate and catch-up.

can't wait to do it all again [but for real] in august.

 .

gregory peck's a stud, even with his grandpa pants

dear naptime,

you're still my favorite- the quiet, the freedom, the peace.

oh it is wonderful.

the post-naptime moments are magical too.

and they are quickly becoming my favorites because that's when kate likes to snuggle with me.

a few days ago i was watching roman holiday during naptime.
when kate woke up from her nap she brought me her little bubble container.
i blew bubbles for a long time while we finished the movie.
[who knew a toddler would like a b+w film?]
she didn't talk much, just watched the movie and the bubbles.
her body was still warm from sleeping and she was snuggled in really close to me.
the whole time i sat there thinking-
my life is pretty much perfect right now.




.

we're getting cranky over here

warm weather please come back.

we miss you.

kate is smiling on the inside

this is a conversation kate and i had yesterday-

kate: 'sliiiide? mama? outsiiiide?'
me: 'sorry sweets, it's raining. no slide today.'
kate: 'it's waining. no sliiiiiide.'
me: 'that's right, no slide. do you want to watch tangled for the 5 billionth time?'

[repeat above conversation seven times]

.

another celebration? don't mind if we do.

this is what our sunday looked like.

it was harry's blessing day.
the food was delicious.
harry's outfit was adorable.
despite a few people having really bad colds/coughs, it was a great day.

things i love::

tyler's face [he pulls that look nearly every time i stick a camera in his face]
my mom's joy in her grandkids- she would gladly hold babies and play with toddlers all day.
that jank always has his itouch with him so he can check espn.
chocolate mousse and the survivor finale [boston rob is a survivor-genius. so glad he won]
my dad's willingness to help with anything and anyone [except stinky diapers, he draws the line at that one]
bb's yummy cooking. jank said it tasted like restaurant food- i agreed.
being together with my family- we don't always see eye-to-eye but we love each other, and that's what really matters.


.

we love to celebrate

dear family [both hansen's and haskins']-

you all know we are contemplating moving away from salt lake after jank graduates.
we are excited about this but also very sad.

we can't imagine not being able to have a party like we had on saturday.
will birthday's be the same when we don't have a house full of people?
probably not.

so thank you all for coming over to celebrate kater's bday party.
hope you all had as much fun as kate did [she's still eating suckers]

a special thank you to everyone for donning party hats and posing for family pictures with kate.

i seriously doubted i could get hats on the menfolk without a fight.

there were definitely a few eye rolls but everyone played along- thanks!

and a really big thank you to my mom who spent over an hour emailing me 100+ pictures once she got back to MN.

[my camera died halfway through the party [duh kayla, charge the battery prior to big events]]

thanks mom!

ps. and whoever put the confetti from the pinata in my bed.... i will get you back.




.

i highly doubt it tastes better refrigerated like the pharmacist said

dear government health insurance program:

i received your notice today that you're terminating our coverage at the end of this month.
apparently the tiny amount of money jank is making at the VA [for a mere 12 weeks] is enough to disqualify us from your program.

we're so glad you're waiting until the end of the month to kick us off,
because miss kate decided she wanted to see the doctor one last time before we got the boot.
[on the morning of her birthday party no less]
and it sure was lovely to not have a copay to worry about.
[sometimes being a grad student has perks.... but mostly it sucks]


kate woke up saturday morning whining and crying and being generally annoying.
she wouldn't snuggle with jank and she didn't want her milk.
she kept pointing at her ear and saying 'owwwwie' [ahhhh i love a talking child. so much easier!]

we packed her up and headed to the instacare.
diagnosis: red, bulging right eardrum.
jank and i looked at each other and pondered 'cancel bday party or load her up with NSAIDs??'
being the loving and caring parents we are, we decided to march onward with the party.

fast forward four hours to a 900 sq foot apartment packed with 18 people and one heavily drugged child.
she had a blast at the party and has been a star about taking her medicine.
i thought she would regress back to the terror she was last week [especially with the excuse of ear pain],
but thankfully her good spirits have remained.


i feel like we've crossed another milestone in parenthood:
bottle of pink antibiotic in fridge? done and done.


thanks medicaid for helping us through grad school.
you've been great, but i'm happy to not deal with your red tape anymore.
standing in line at your office for over 20 minutes with yet another verification form with a toddler is not cool.
and dealing with your cranky federal employees has been anything less than fun.
but still, you've been helpful and we appreciate that.


thanks and goodbye.
the jancers.



.

friday the 13th

a very big and heartfelt thank you to the weather for cooperating during the last few days.

let's pretend my daughter isn't groping her cousin 

everyone deserves a good papa-

our girls are lucky to have such a great one.

we've spent a lot of time outside soaking up the sunshine.

it's been lovely.

ps. 80 days?!?! it seems unreal that we are that close to graduation. let the freaking out begin [i don't do well with big changes]

.

naptime for everyone

dear bed,

i want very much to crawl into you right now.

kate and i just returned from a two hour walk around bb's neighborhood.

the weather was perfect and i am happily exhausted.

i would love to snuggle into your white comforter and enjoy the breeze blowing through my window.

a 20 minute nap sounds awesome right now.

but i know me.

and if i don't blog now about the good times we're having with mom and dad,

i probably never will.

and the going-ons won't be committed to my memory.

then when bb says 'remember when....?' i'll have to say [yet again] 'nope, don't remember'

so here's what happened thursday:

breakfast @ gourmandise. 

fantastic- i want to eat there every morning

kate eating her raspberries- is there a toddler who doesn't enjoy sticking food on their fingertips?

 i highly recommend the cinnamon apple french toast. and check out all those berries!

lunch on soda row in daybreak [can't remember the name of the place]

lizamagoos rocking it out in her sunglasses, eyeing bb's root beer.

nana getting in some harry-loving while kate gags....er... feeds harry.

 snuggling with nana after a long day of fun

we call the spot kate's in 'the bird's nest'- it was the coveted spot when we were younger.

ok, now i can go crash until kate wakes up from her nap

[yes, she still naps! it took me a week or so of retraining her for nap time but it was worth it. she sleeps like a champ for about 90 minutes every day. hallelujah!!]

.

visitors

welcome back mom and dad,

let the fun times commence

.

blondie

dear kate's hair:

the mullet-thing you've got going on is really awesome.

especially in the morning when bed-head and mullet collide.

thanks for being so rad.

you make me smile.

.

do the terrible two's really last a whole year?!?

mom and dad-

i want to apologize in advance for any disappointment you might experience in the coming week.
you're flying out here on thursday and i'm afraid it's not going to be much fun.

you see, the terrible two's have descended upon our house.
it's really not as funny as everyone says it will be.
the over-the-top meltdowns might be funny in a year or two,
but right now.... oh boy.

i hope kate shapes up before you get here.
i know you want to snuggle her and play with her but all she wants to do is cry.
be warned: if you touch her without her permission, she will burst into tears and say "owwwwie"
[this makes for fun public outings- people tend to stare when a child yells owie!]

i don't mean to be so dramatic, i should note that it's not horrible 24/7.
kate's still sweet and fun.
she still likes playgrounds, bubbles and movies-
those things always make her smile.
it's just that the good moments are tainted more frequently with a tantrum or two [or five].

i really hope it's just a week-long phase.
maybe a little nana and papa love is all she needs.
let's hope.


please bring chocolate and fresh flowers when you come,
i'm fairly certain i deserve them.
any of these will do nicely:

[fyi: peonies are my favorite]

love you both,
beaner


.

friday nights used to be for partying...

kathryn grace:

right now you are sleeping in our big bed snuggled up with your dad.

you're congested, coughing and your allergies are horrific.

benadryl isn't working and your PA/dad says we can't give you anything else.

i have a feeling tonight is going to be a long one.

two hours ago, you coughed yourself awake and cried for me.

i scooped you up and carried you to the rocking chair.

i snuggled you in with 3 different blankets and rocked you back to sleep.

instead of putting you back in your crib, i just held you and thought of how you've changed my world.

i fell asleep listening to your breathing.

i can't remember the last time i felt so at peace.

thanks for making me a mother.

i love you.

ps. i just moved you to your bed since you were squirming like crazy. we've never slept with you in our bed before and i think tonight will be rough enough without being kicked in the head multiple times. 

pps. as i was moving you, you opened your sweet little eyes and said "movie??" oh man, you kill me. that would be a no, little one. i think there will be enough movie watching/couch snuggling tomorrow.

.

another year older

miss kate:

i hope you inherited your father's memory.

he can recall all sorts of information and it comes in quite handy

[unless we're having an argument and then it's just annoying]

but just in case you inherited my awful memory and can never recall your second birthday,

i'll recap today for you--

you received three phone calls, four text messages and one card.

i let you drink as much milk as you wanted and by bedtime i had refilled your sippy 6 times.

you got to play with your favorite person in the whole world- lizamagoos!

you guys fed the ducks and geese, found sticks and played on the slides.

running with sticks is safe and awesome

you had mcdonald's for dinner.

you barely ate your food because you were full of milk [your dad ate your nuggets. he thanks you]

i made you a chocolate cake stuffed with chocolate mouse and raspberry filling.

you licked the whipped cream off the top, smashed the rest and didn't even try a bite.

you blew out your candle on the first try [all that bubble-blowing came in handy]

we applauded your candle-blowing abilities like you had just discovered electricity.

we're still working on smiling for the camera. that little girl is a stubborn one.

you demanded extra hugs after you were tucked in and we joyfully complied.

tonight, just like every night, you yelled 'NIGH-NIGH' as we walked out of your room.

this always makes us laugh.

miss kate, we love your guts.

thanks for changing our lives.

love, 

your mama and daddy

ps. for your birthday we got you a portable dvd player that mounts to the headrest in my car. we installed it a week ago and you now love 'going out'. i'm pretty sure it's the best thing we've ever bought you. i should add that it was your dad's idea so we have him to thank for our now peaceful car rides. thanks jank!

.

a perfect day

BB-

note to self: next time bring scoops and bowls so the girls don't have to steal other kids' toys. whoops

thanks for giving me an excuse to take the girls to the park.
your new double-wide is awesome.
[i love that a new stroller excites me]

i couldn't get the girls to both look at me for a picture.
they couldn't be distracted from all the fun they were having.
not that i blame them.
sun + sand make a great combo.

sorry that i forgot the sunscreen.
but i'm sure glad that sunscreen is something we have to now think about.
goodbye clouds, hello sun!




ps. my favorite picture of harry to date

my favorite outfit- i'm a sucker for stripes.

.

but really, is bath time a chore? i think not.

jank-

usually we split up the apres-dinner chores [cleaning up dinner and bathing katers]
i like the quiet that comes with cleaning the dishes.
you like to spend extra time with kate.
it's a win-win.....
normally.

last night the kitchen looked like this:

roast, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans and garlic bread.

oh and cherry coke zero.

i decided it was too much for one person to tackle.
[i'm such a slacker]
so i relocated to the bathroom floor and played on my phone while you bathed miss kate.

still loves water being poured on her head. seriously. loves it.

i really feel that you got the raw end of the deal.
especially since you did the majority of the kitchen work also.
but then i remembered that i know all the songs/words/noises on every elmo dvd we own [all 3 of them!]
and i decided i had logged enough elmo hours to justify being lazy last night.

thanks for helping me.
sorry we didn't get caught up on survivor.
the bin laden coverage was just too interesting to turn off.
maybe we can watch boston rob kick some butt tonight??

love you
bug


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