Full Tummy's and Thankful Hearts

What a fabulous thanksgiving we had this year; food, family and fun is just a combo you can't beat!!! We started off the day early cleaning and finishing some food prep, then had time to play with the kids while we waited for everyone to arrive....a hodge podge of appetizers was on the menu for lunch...mmm...mini quiche, shrimp skewers, orange chicken, chip and dips...mmmm....makes my mouth water!!!

While the dinner feast was cooking, Papa took some time to snuggle two of his fair maidens!

Sitting down for a tasty meal...I'm sure glad the women in our family know how to cook!
After dinner, to help our food settle, we all gathered in the living room, as Papa read a children's thanksgiving story...of course, with the fireplace hearth begging for attention, how could we not have a talent show/sing along put on by the children?! They took the "stage" in a flurry, and we heard everything from Twinkle Little Star, to High School Musical, and even a little baby babble song by our own Carter Grace!...She was catching on that to get attention and clapping you had to make a lot of noise...so she joined the show....very cute...and SOOOO fun to watch her learn such things and find her place in the family!
Brook and I had so much fun making fancy arrangements and setting the china with bright red apples as personal votives to sit by each plate, it really was a beautiful sight...which is masked in the picture by VERY hungry folks, as the turkey took a little longer to cook than anyone suspected!!!

The whole lot of us! Minus me, and Carter who's tucked in her high chair in the back right corner...and Autumn who's being held by her father, and Parker who was too hungry to have his picture taken, and Aunt Kimmy who was at another family gathering......we're always in a quest for that perfect family picture of everyone gathered around a beautifully set table wearing matching sweaters, with big smiles and perfectly styled hair....but alas, it's not to be!...Family gatherings are rather unpredictable things you see, but we're happy with what we get...everyone together in one place, for a moment in time...for this I am truly grateful....besides we still have Christmas to get that perfect photo right?!?!

The fourth and final Disneyland post!

Taking a moment to swoon on the Jolly Trolley in Toon Town

Sleeping Beauty's Castle lit up with icicles and snow just before the big holiday parade
John, lovin it at California Adventure

Getting dizzy on the tea cups

The sisters waiting for the Thunder Mountain roller coaster to take off, one of our favorites!

Well, I have to say this was probably one of the grandest Hansen Family Adventures to date! We hang glided over California, rode the rapids down Grizzly River Run, flew to Never Never land, entered The Twilight Zone at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, roller coasted on the appropriately named California Screamin, got shot into the air on the Mali-boomer, mixed and mingled with royalty, joined Buzz in defeating Zurg, attended Jedi Knight training, and adventured with Indiana Jones........we had an amazing time in the California sun, and soaked up all of the sights and fun to be had....we feel so blessed, and grateful to my sister and brother in law for taking their Nanny, and Manny along!

Disneyland Part 4:

At the Pirates Lair...aka...Tom Sawyer's Island for all of you Disneyland old schoolers!

My California sunshine baby! She actually left her sunglasses on for quite a while...until her 3 year old diva cousin decided she needed to wear them!
Meeting the local royals...Carter got to meet Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Arial and Tiana, the newest member of the Disney Princesses...she was never quite sure what to think of them...she was usually more interested in their wigs and gowns than smiling at Mommy for a picture!

And what would a trip to Disneyland be without a ride on Dumbo!

Disneyland Part 3:

My precious baby people watching during lunch

Princesses of course...If you can't be a princess in Disneyland then where can you!
Of course....the Mickey ears...too poor to buy them, but had to get a picture at least!

We had to take Carter to Minnie's house in Toon Town for a picture...ok, so we were just as excited...too bad the wait at Mickey's house was WAY too long!

The whole gang outside of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Welcome to the Magical world of Disney...Part 2:

Well, we made it to Los Angeles just in time for traffic hour... we inched our way mile by mile in agony...smoggy car sickness, a crying hungry baby...and 10 miles later we made our way to Anaheim, where we went straight to Disneyland...after two days of driving, we couldn't hold the kids off any longer...they knew we had arrived, and there would surely be hell to pay if we didn't go right away!!! We had a few fun hours in the park before we headed to our hotel for some much needed sleep!!!

We arrived on Monday evening...Friday was to be the big holiday parade so over the week the park slowly transformed into a winter wonderland...complete with falling snow on the night of the parade!
Couldn't resist the traditional picture at the entrance just through the ticket gate!

Daddy and Carter chumming it up with the local celebrities!

Baby Carter could only take so much excitement...thankfully she took good naps here and there in between going on rides with Mommy, Daddy and her Cousins...we eventually got a pretty good "kid pass off" system in between kiddy and adult rides...fast passes and baby passes were helpful too!

Necessary Chaos...Disneyland Trip Part 1:

We left Sunday mid morning for the grueling journey south...our goal for day one was to make it to Sacramento without any casualties...well...we made it...at least in one piece! Thankfully both girls were tired and zonked with a little assistance from the lulling motion of the car!

After many "Are we there yet"s... "That's mine, give it back"... "Leave Carter's binki in her mouth"etc, etc, etc...we finally broke down and turned a movie on for the kids...thankfully cousin Abrianna didn't leave her "microphones" on very long which gave Carter a chance to tune in to the action...she loved having the headphones on and was enthralled with the movie...she really wasn't a miss fuss on the drive, but lets face it, adults get bored, little kids get bored...I'm sure little babies get bored sitting in the car for hours on end...the movie was a nice perk...for the adults too!

How enjoyable that it was the boys turn to be up front when the movie began...craftiness or convenience...we'll never tell!!!

We made it to Sacramento at about 11pm, and fell into bed at my brother in laws sister's house, we're so thankful for their hospitality... after many potty breaks, a few melt downs, a roadside bathroom emergency, and endless moments of a three year old breaking out in song...we welcomed the blessed reprieve! All in all the children did well, it was just the usual necessary chaos that all must endure on long....long...road trips! Thanks Brook and Randall for taking us along...!

Happy Haunting on all Hallows Eve!!!

MYSTERY INC.

The whole gang was there, Scoob and his mystery solving, ghost and goblin fighting friends...Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and even a box of Scooby Snax and a dog bone!

If you can't tell...the brown blob in Brook's...AKA Velma's arms is a little baby dog bone...AKA a scooby snack!

Fred and Daphne posing as the Hansen's
Carter Grace makes a pretty cute box of Snax!

Baby Autumn didn't like being a Scooby Snack at first...maybe she just had gas!

All in all it was a fun night at the church trunk or treat party...it was exciting to get to watch all of the little cousins play and run about the church just like we used to back in the day, and of course dressing up and joining the festivities even as an adult was just as fun!

Pumpkin Bumpkins...

Baby Carter's first Halloween!!! I'm getting a kick out of all the "firsts" that we keep coming accross, this was definitely a fun one! We had so much fun carving pumpkins with Brook and Randall and the kids, we were lucky enough to find one big enough that Carter fit in for the traditional baby in the pumpkin picture!

The bunch of us minus Brook the photographer, proud of our handy work!
John did such a good job carving Scooby Doo!

Thank you Brook for the delicious treats!!!

A day at the beach...

Well, it's been a while since the last update, and we've had a few new Hansen Family Adventures! A few weeks ago we were set to go downtown to Portland's Saturday Market...just as we were pulling out of the driveway, we decided to detour and head to the coast...we felt kind of sneaky not telling anyone where we were going, since we were expected back sometime in the afternoon...but in all honesty, we knew no one would really care...but we felt like bandits escaping in the night anyhoo!!!

We spent most of the day at Seaside, then traveled north to Astoria...couldn't help going over this massive bridge (the length of it disappears in the fog) it stretches over the mouth of the Columbia...couldn't pass it up...so we reset the trip odometer and over and back we went...one way was 41/2 miles!!!
John and Baby Carter taking a stroll...it was a perfect fall day at the beach, sunny, a few clouds, cool....and just right for a barefoot dip into the water!

Although our shadows make us look like giants, I still thought this was kind of a fun picture...who can resist writing something sentimental in the sand?!

At the Seaside Carousel mall, taking it all in.

Carter and Mommy on the board walk.