baby "ti-yah"

Lincoln doesn't know that his little cousin Keira is in the hospital today. But we have caught him going around the house with this little dolly, giving her a bottle, cuddling her, wrapping her in a blanket. Sleeping with her. Calling her "Baby Ti-Yah" (Keira).

ike on his bike

Oh, the joys of watching your child ride his bike for the first time.

piano

Isaac diligently practices the piano for about 30 minutes every day. His little brother likes to squeeze right next to him, too, on the piano bench.

i am the lorax, i speak for the trees!

new home

Just thought it'd be fun to post a few pics of our home.

Love the tree fort/slide/swing/sandbox for the boys. And we have two great garden spots. And I adore my cheery green kitchen. It gets so much light in the afternoons.

silly boys

Just wanted to post a few shots of my silly/sweet/funny/happy little boys. They really are happy little bugs. Link insists on dressing himself lately and says he is "a li'l uh-oh" (monkey). Most of the time he gets it close enough, despite backwards/inside-out The merging of two obsessions: legos and animals (oh, and R2D2 thrown in for good measure . . .can you tell which one?). Built all by himself! Building forts, whispering secrets All bundled up, ready for the cold! At the Missoula Symphony family concert with friends (the boys dig the masks) Sledding/chilling/hiking at Pattee Canyon (thanks Aunt Bek for the groovy scarves!)

photo update

With the move, I never got around to posting some pictures from December. For posterity!

We had a 70th birthday celebration for my Dad Boys with Avery all bundled up for Temple Square lights Lincoln got a wee chilled when we went sledding for Ikey's birthday. Thanks, Aunt Lisa, for the coat! Sledding with Suz on Isaac's birthday Big 6-year-old boy (In case you can't tell, the cake was an open book) Christmas morning. . . waiting for the floodgates to open! Yeah! Animals! Goose, crab, doggies, ostrich, manatee (not enough arm space for them all) Little cutie cousin, Evie And light sabers! It was a Star Wars Christmas. Santa included a note: "These light sabers are not for harming others. . . only for combatting sadness or hard feelings." Homemade giraffe and zebra--Link's two favorite animals (made with love by Mommy and Isaac) Hansen family nativity. Blake: shepherd, Avery: Mary, Lincoln: Joseph, Maddie and Isaac: Wisemen Joseph decided he wanted to ride the donkey (Brit) to Bethlehem, too! Hansen cousins

missoula update

Well. We made it. Whew! Here we are in our new life—a new city and state, a new job, a new school, a new place to live, new friends (hopefully forthcoming), a new beginning. Missoula, nestled on all sides by white-tipped mountains, seems like a very cool little city. It doesn’t take long to reach the outskirts of town, to wilderness, and there is a family-friendly communal feeling here. I adore the charming historic homes and overprotective mature trees, but I’m adjusting to the crazy maze of slanted and one-way streets that make an adventure of driving. We are antsy to get out to that wilderness and explore—so far we’ve been hindered by winter’s sea of ice and lack of daylight. Still, on balmy 40-degree days when we do venture out on the city bike trail, just a few blocks from our home, I have been surprised by how many runners, dog-walkers, and bikers are out. We’ve also been delighted to see how every motorist, seemingly, stops for us when we attempt to cross a street. What might that reveal about the mindset of residents?—perhaps that they revere a slower lifestyle and value the efforts of those on foot.

Jed started his new job at HRA and so far (he thinks) he likes it. They put him right to work on an extensive project. He is happy to be freed from a confining cubicle and doesn’t mind sharing the space with a fellow historian. And he digs the view from his 4^th floor window—a sweeping panorama of the ample Clark Fork River (that slices Missoula in two) and the historic Wilma Theater just across Higgins Avenue. The window is west facing so he gets to see some spectacular displays of color and light in the late afternoon sunsets. He can take a stroll through the historic and hip downtown streets on his lunch hour or go on a run with a colleague who might be slightly faster than him (perfect for training purposes). In just a few minutes’ time from their office they can be pounding a mountain trail in Rattlesnake Recreation area. As for the commute, Jed can hop on a bus or even walk the 1.75 distance from work and be home by five, easily. It’s lovely.

Isaac, meanwhile, is jubilantly beginning his new adventure called full-day Kindergarten. Here’s how the transition from half-day went: after the first day he lamented, “I wish school got out at 6 o’clock, not 3!” His school is Paxson Elementary and teacher Mrs. LaRance, a top-notch educator from the looks of it. When I observed the class for an hour I was impressed with her teaching style and the attentiveness of the kids. Her classroom includes a science corner with all kinds of fun items for small hands to explore, and even two guinea pigs, a snake, and a 60-year-old turtle (or so Isaac claims). I’m glad that he can have a mid-day snack and even a rest time with his world-map blanket. Isaac is a fan of riding the bus to and from school (as is Mom :) and is already buddies with his 19 fellow classmates.

As for me, one of my first items of business is to make new friends. I’ve dragged the family to a school game night and service project in hopes of mingling with other parents, and we’ve met some tentative friends at church (there are a lot of families our age). One new friend, Jennifer, drove me around some nearby recreation areas for two hours and very generously watched the boys for us on our anniversary. We were pleased to discover relatives—my Dad’s cousin and his wife—in town, and they have welcomed us with open arms and act as surrogate grandparents to the kids. I am stoked about an electric piano from Kristen and Ed, and daily I’ve been tinkering out Broadway tunes and compelling Jed to be Jean Valjean, Marius, The Phantom, Raoul. Isaac even sings “Castle on a Cloud” along with me. Jed and I do yoga together as a new morning ritual along with running and exercising. I’m also reading, writing, and preparing myself to get back on the work scene part time, and I am toying with the idea of a master’s degree. Hm.

In Colorado one of our favorite stomping grounds was Green Mountain: here it will be replaced, I hope, with the nearby Blue Mountain. This weekend we got a dusty cover of new snow so we bundled the kids to scope it out. Jed pulled the boys along in a sled as we hiked, then we joined some sledders on a superb sloping hill.

Lincoln is the happy little clam that he usually is (unless occupied in a belligerent pout. Is it the age?). His day is spent in bliss working puzzles, exploring our new fort/swing/slide, drawing and coloring animals with their light sabers, and playing with his animal toys. He is often singing a little childish tune or ready with a "chish" (kiss) or snuggle. Sometimes we venture out together on walks and I relish holding his tiny mittened hand while he points out airplanes, chickens, doggies, light sabers (well, sticks in the shape of light sabers. We have Isaac to thank for the Star Wars/light saber obsession around here). We push our toes on the edges of ice and wonder at the sound as it crackles and breaks.

a brother's love

I came inside one night from an errand and after starting to make a light-hearted comment I stopped—so struck was I by Jed’s unusually grim demeanor. He somberly informed me that Isaac was in big trouble—a rarity around here. Why? Because during play sparring with light sabers, Isaac had smacked his little brother on the head with his—hard enough to make Lincoln cry—though Jed wasn’t there to see firsthand just how hard or intentional it was. The light sabers had been shelved for a week and the offender was sequestered in time-out.

Lincoln was gently whimpering and had retreated under his “Bee Tee”—his beloved hand-sewn-by-Great-Grandma blanket—on the living room floor.

I went to the door and murmured, “We’re disappointed in you, Isaac,” before closing it shut. But judging from his ashen expression, Isaac seemed pretty penitent about his crime. He even appeared to me to be in a self-punishing position—head squished into the crevice of the seat of the glider, feet awkwardly splayed over the arm rest.

I proceeded with dinner preparations. After about ten minutes I had all but forgotten the severity of the incident and called out, “Dinner time! Isaac, you can come out of time out! Come eat, Boys!”

Typically they quickly scurry in at meal times, but after several minutes neither had emerged. And it struck me that the house was curiously quiet.

“Dinner!” I again hollered. “Isaac, you can come out! The food is ready!”

After several more moments of boys MIA, I began to be perplexed. These are hungry little critters. So I went to find them. Lincoln had abandoned his cocoon in the living room, so I proceeded to their bedroom. But when I pushed open the door I stopped in my tracks—totally unprepared for the site.

Lincoln had snuck into the room and had squeezed his little body onto the glider beside the perpetrator; they were coiled up, one practically on top of the other, little towheads pressed together. In silence. Lincoln’s Bee Tee was wrapped protectively around them, his tiny arm squeezed snug, comfortingly, lovingly, around his big brother’s shoulders.

when lincoln finds the camera

31

Happy 31 years, Jed! We absolutely adore you. But you know that.

welcome home grandma and grandpa!

Two weeks ago my parents returned home from their two-year mission in Malaysia. They flew halfway around the world to New York, packed up a moving truck, and drove out to Utah, stopping to see us in Denver on the way. We were SO happy to see them again! They both looked great and we loved hearing amazing stories from their mission.