Country Living

Ahhhhh......do you see now why living 7 miles from town, 20 minutes from decent grocery shopping, and an hour from the mall is so enchanting???? Ok, I'm sure it's not for everyone, but for us.....it's paradise!!!

We've had many awesome thunder and rain storms the past few months and always the glorious views after the storm passes...just can't be beat!!! Oh Idaho how we love thee!!!

Funny Faces...

Well I'm certainly behind in updating all on the world of Hansen...not that much has changed, or that anything exciting has happened, but still I know there are a few out there that enjoy an occasional picture and update! Well, our little one year old is growing and changing so fast, she's SUCH a little HAM and knows it too...too cute for her own good! On the rare occasion that I forget to shut doors around the house...she has now learned that she can sneak in and shut the door, and go about her destructive business...as the next pictures show, her newest discovery is the fun of unrolling toilet paper and spreading little shreds all about the bathroom...now the picture doesn't do the mess justice...it was all over....but what's a mom to do...well, I threw my hands up in the air and said had fun (after I rescued what I could of the roll!) Who knew toilet paper could provide so much entertainment for one little girl!

For the past few months I've been watching our cousins's little boy during the day...he's quite creative and has learned (for the most part!) how to get along with an inquisitive 1 year old that follows him everywhere! Again...one day I was just going about my business, doing laundry and such, when I entered the kitchen what was found to my suprise?>>>of course, every pot pan and lid strewn about the floor, and where were the children?>>>>>> in the cupboard of course! Now I know these are regular and common happenings in mose homes with little children, but I still get a kick out of it, and find it to be a great photo opp!

Unfortunately Carter was not as talented getting in the cupboard as out....she face planted it on the floor and cried as her little lip started to puff! Oh the first of many!

Easter and Such...

Easter morning

Hunting Easter Eggs and Great Grandma and Grandpa's

Our little Bunny!

Watching the dog out the front window!

A rare peek at those cute buckey front teeth!

Playing peekaboo with the kitchen rug!

I can't believe our baby's ONE!!!

I can't hardly believe my baby is one! The past year has just flown by...today i'm sitting listening to general conference as I play catch up with the blog...one year ago I was also watching the Sunday morning session when my water broke and we headed off to the hopsital!!! I know it's quite a miracle...those 9 months of development, but what's even more amazing to me is the learning and growth that babies acomplish in their first 12 months of life....I am amazed at how much our little love has changed, she's such a blessing to have!

Cousin McKenzie...Carter....Cousin Riley
Opening presents with Daddy....Carter is such a love, and un-promted gave her first baby doll a little smooch!

Her Sunflower cake...ok, so it shouldn't have been a double decker, and there needed to be more "petals"(mmm, love twinkies!)...but I think you can the general Idea of it....right?!

All smiles...playing with Daddy before her pary!

Mommy thought that the hat looked good, aparently Carter did not think it was good fashion!

Some of her loot!

I love chocolate!...Check out my teeth!!!

Mmmmmm....my hand tastes pretty good too!

Messy, messy....what are 1st birthday's and cake for?!....To make the biggest permissable, and adorbale mess, that mom doesn't care about, and doesn't mind cleaning!

Our Kids....

Well, country life suits us well...although my peace and quiet is now being interupted by anxious farmers, itchy to get into their fields-big farm trucks rumble up and down the road, and the fields are getting sprayed...you can feel the anticipation for the season ahead, and hear it in the talk around town of weather, who's planting what in which field, prices of fertilizer, and for ONCE in my life....WE PRAY FOR RAIN!!! Of course growing up in Oregon that was unheard of....but God bless the farmer's of the world....we pray for rain!

Most recently we've been blessed with a new addition to the family, a young pup that we've named Jax....he just showed up at our house (whether city-folk dumped him or he wandered too far we'll never know!) But we're happy he's with us....he's eager to learn, and trains well, we've mastered coming at a whistle, and staying off of the top stoop while the front door is open-he's a bit of Houdini sneaking in from the early morning cold when John leaves for work! He's a good little fella who just roams the corrals and fields, guards the porch at night is always eager to give us puppy loves!!!
And of course what would be the long awaited update without pictures of our little love!!! Miss Carter Grace is coming up on her first birthday- she's mastered crawling, pulling her self up to the couch, drinking out of her sippy, telling momma when she's "bonked" her head, waving bye bye, and giving big wet slobbery kisses!!!

We are SOOOOO IN LOVE with her!!!

Kitchen Towel Kung Fu...

Well, finally decided that I can't justify getting the internet out at our little house...so for some unkown amount of time I'll be posting randomly as I make it in to town to a family or friends house that has internet! Hopefully i'll remember to bring a memory stick with a few pictures on it to post....next time!

Life never ceases to be an adventure, last week was rather interesting...full of surprises...for instance...feeling like I was in slow-mo, as i watched my almost 1 year old projectile vomit all over me...three times...in one hour...oh not to mention it went on for days....then to only come down with a nasty little cold myself, leaving me sleepless, cranky and stinky due to the above mentioned encounters with a sick baby...on top of it all we've had a few visitors every night this week...recently they've been seen mourning over their dead brother named "roadkill" just a stone's throw down the road...yes...awwww, all black and white and cuddly looking, but they're just sheep in wolves clothing-it seems just as we get settled in bed EVERY NIGHT they find there way to our house...within a few minutes reach of blissfull slumber, that invisible but heavy odorous scent lingers at the doors and windows, then slowly like a poisonous gas seeps in to fill every nook and cranny in the...being that it's winter we have no choice but to have the heaters on which creates this lovely hot box affect....gotta love the country right???...At least our landlord came out yesterday and set some traps...this morning I heard multiple gun shots, so unless this is more outlaw country than skunk country, I'd say a few of our little friends just might have reached skunk heaven!

As for the title of this post...my latest great adventure was having the pleasure of killing a black widow spider in my kitchen...it must have thought the cookies I was baking would be tasty as it came from the the heat vent and decided to take a stroll across my oven door...with a quick rush of adrenaline, I reached for the only weapon within reach...my kitchen towel, that's right ladies, don't ever be caught with out your kitchen towel at hand...it can save your life!!! (Teehee) With one snap I not only dismembered the little devil, but killed him instantly...I feel rather brave and accomplished, but secretly I don't walk anywhere in my house without wearing my slippers!!!

Well, more to come as I get a chance to come into town!!!

Settling in...

Well, it's official we're now Idahoan's...again...!!! Today marks one weeks since our return, we miss our family in Oregon, but are happy to get settled in to our little house as a family, Carter and I have missed John terribly during our time apart. We're loving our little house in the country...and mostly everything that comes with it...spiders I can deal with...a few mice in the walls...whatever...but smelling a skunk all night into the morning, not so much lovin it...thankfully there's a good wind today keeping that air moving!!!

After apartment living, I feel like i've been let out of a cage...I can walk around in my underwear without having to worry about the shades, I can make as much noise as I want, whenever I want, I have a pantry so dishes and food don't have to share cupboards, I have an actual laundry room...no more folding clothes on the kitchen counter (yayayayayay!!!) I HAVE COUNTER SPACE..a walk through closet to the bathroom, TONS OF WINDOWS....it's so light and bright...and the best part is that every window in the house looks out to a field, the mountains, or an old lazy barn/corral that just oozes a kick back and relax feel!!! I have a yard(although it needs alot of work this spring!), space for a garden, TONS OF BIRDS that sing so sweetly every morning...cows lulling in the background, and horses to greet me when I pull up to the house....finally the inner me matches my surroundings...I might have grown up a little more on the city side, but i've definitely gone country!!!

We went to our new ward today in Acequia...I can already tell i'm going to love it!!! I felt like a celebrity, I don't think i've had so many people approach me and shake my hand in a 5 minute span of time ever...there's alot of really young families/couples, and just a good down home honest country folk feel, what more could a girl ask for??...we've even met a few gamers who're rearin for a good ticket to ride marathon!!!!

Other than everything...nothing much is new, it's nice to have a routine finally...John is loving his job, Carter's still not crawling BUT she is sleeping through the night like a champ, which makes our days together much more bearable!!! We have a new little niece that we love to cuddle up, little Brynlie is so much fun!!!