Big Changes

Just one short week ago, we were happily living in the Bay Area. Jax was going to an awesome preschool, I had made quite a few new mommy friends, and we were feeling pretty content with life. Then God decided that His timing is perfect, and everything changed.

Let's backtrack.... When Ryan was getting out of the Army, we were pursuing jobs in our hometown of Fresno. We weren't having a ton of luck. Then my dad connected us with a job for the same company that he works for, but it wasn't in Fresno. We prayed over it and decided that living 2.5 hours away from family was much better than the 3000 miles that we were away in the Army. So we took the job and moved to the Bay Area, knowing that we would keep ours ears open for any opportunities in Fresno.

Back to last week... On Thursday I told Ryan how I was feeling so much more settled and content, and so happy that had made some new mommy friends. Little did I know that he already knew things were changing, and fast. On Friday evening he had me look at a list of houses to buy. I looked at the list and realized that the addresses were in Fresno (well, Clovis, more specifically). I was so confused and Ryan said "Oh, I didn't tell you? We're moving back home!". The same job Ryan does in the Bay Area opened up in Fresno, he called to put his name on the interview list and the manager said "When can you start?". Talk about God's hand in our lives! When Ryan told me, I immediately started crying. I was so happy and so sad all at the same time. Just one say prior I was talking about how I was feeling good about life, then all of sudden things completely changed. I was so happy that we were moving back home, but so sad to be leaving all the friends I had made, all of Jax's new friends, and especially his amazing preschool.

One week later and Ryan officially works in Fresno, we are under contract with a house that we are buying, and I have 30 days to pack up our life. Talk about fast!! I am so excited for this new chapter in our lives and I can't wait to get settled in our brand new house!

Thank you for prayers during this time. Ryan will be doing the same job, but has new things he has to learn for this area and will be traveling for training. Jax and Lexi can both sense the change and have been a little crazy/fussy over the past week. (Although Jax is also super excited). And I am figuring out all the little logistics of moving our family.... Again.

Here's to new beginnings!

Another Milestone

This is something that I have been looking forward to for a while. I couldn't wait for Lexi to be stable enough to sit on her own in the bathtub so that I could throw her in there with her brother and savor the sibling cuteness. 

There is seriously nothing more scrumptious than squeaky clean kiddos!

Say and Choose

So many blog friends have been posting their one-word theme for 2013. It's a word to try to live by over the next year. Instead of choosing one word, I've been thinking about two actions that I want to keep in mind over the next 12 months.

SAY YES

and

CHOOSE JOY

The first applies mostly to my kids, well, to Jax at this point. I am so good at saying "Just a minute, buddy", "I'll be right there, babe", "I'll do it once I finish...". This year, I'm making a big effort to JUST SAY YES. Dishes, laundry, chores can wait. As Jax grows up, he won't remember whether there were dishes in the sink but he will remember that his mommy never had time for him. I would be a failure as a mom if that's what my children grow up and remember about their childhood. This year, I'm saying yes to Candy Land, and Chutes and Ladders, and puzzles, and crafts, and story time, and movie nights. Because that's how memories are made.

The second is a goal for myself because I struggle with fear. My mind is always going a million miles an hour with every possible outcome for every possible situation. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a pessimist, but I tend to think about bad things happening... Especially to my kids or myself. There are times when it feels completely overwhelming/terrifying and I KNOW that God does not want us to live that way. So this year, I am CHOOSING JOY.

My mom gave me this book for my birthday (back in August), and that is the main message. To find God's gifts in our everyday lives. To know that bad things can and do happen, but that God loves us through and through. He will always, ALWAYS hold our hearts in his ever-loving hands. This isn't a magic cure for my fear. The scary thoughts still happen, but I am choosing to focus on the good. I am choosing joy.

*Read more about choosing joy

*Ann Voskamp's blog

 *Take the Joy Dare

Insta-Randoms

Playing a little catch-up of iPhone/Instagram pictures.

If you want to follow me, I'm @jennahansen. 

It's set to private but I would be happy to add you! It's just to keep the creepers away ;)

This beautiful girl wore her first real big girl dress to church a few weeks ago

And this ridiculously cute Christmas outfit with this ridiculously large bow

Ryan and I got to go to our friends' Christmas party, minus the kids. We had a blast!

Christmas present fun

My sweet, sick girl. Lots of snuggles over the past 2 weeks.

She is SO big now. And it's so much fun that they are starting to play together.

We took the kids to the park a few days ago and actually took her out of her car seat :)

We also took the kids to see Monsters, Inc on NYE. They did great and Jax was super cute.

She loves to chew on her sippy straw. She's still figuring out how to actually drink from it.

Silly boys!

Sicky girl and her inhaler. She actually tolerated it really well. It's too bad it didn't do much to help her.

We had to move on to breathing treatments. Sweet girl.

Umm... Weirdo.

My loves

Sleep training success! She played for 20 minutes then went to sleep without making a peep. Yahoo!

However, the sickies have thrown the sleep training out the window. And unfortunately Lexi is waking up every hour and a half at night. She's feeling so much better though, so hopefully good sleep will return soon!

Sick Lexi

Lexi has pneumonia. Please pray that my sweet girl would be healed quickly. And that I won't lose my mind from worrying.

6 months!

Miss Lexi Nicole is 6 months old today! As of tomorrow, she is closer to her 1st birthday than to the day she was born. 

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

I feel like this month has been full of developmental leaps. In just a matter of weeks she has turned from a little baby into a big baby... does that even make sense?! She just seems like such a big girl these days and it blows my mind!

She is currently sick, and has been for the past 10 days. It started out as a cold, but has developed into bronchiolitis. She has the yuckiest cough. It's so sad. And it's always making her gag and throw up everything she ate. We went to the doctor (for the 3rd time) today and ended up getting her an inhaler, so I really hope that it will help her finally kick this thing. Sick babies are no fun!

However, let's focus on the positive.... here's a list of all the stats and developments over the past month!

-She weighs 13lbs11oz (11th%)

-She is 26.5 inches (74th%, although I don't think that's accurate) 

-She wears 6 month clothes, but some are still too big

-She wears size 3 diapers

-She sleeps from 8-4/5, eats, then sleeps until 630/7. Although her schedule got all messed up from being sick. 

-She never takes long naps, only 4 or 5 power naps. It's really frustrating!

-She has started sitting up on her own, but still falls over sometimes

-She says mama! (Yes, I realize she doesn't know what she's saying, but I don't care)

-She learned that you can jump in the jumper, instead of just sitting in it

-She babbles and says "ahhhhhh" a lot

-She has tried bananas, avocado, pears, sweet potatoes, apples and butternut squash. She seems to like it all so far and hasn't really turned anything down. She loves bananas and sweet potatoes the most

-She loves to chew on my straw or the straw on her sippy, but hasn't figured out how to suck on it yet

-She is obsessed with Jax and always smiles and laughs when he's around

She is such a joy and each day keeps getting better and better. She is at such a fun age and I can't wait to see what she will do next!

[Oh hey there, shoe]

 [You look yummy. I think I will try to eat you.]

[I couldn't quite reach you, so I guess I will just take you off and eat you instead. Nom nom]

HAPPY SIX MONTHS, LEXI LADY!!!