holy cow! i think i actually forgot i have a blog to update!!since i wrote last, i've had a new grandbaby! his name is caleb mark hansen, and he is adorable! he was born by emergency c-section (sound familiar??) six weeks early on february 27th. amanda went into pre-eclampsia again, but this time the doctor wasn't going to let her go as long as she did with braeden. it was really scary because caleb was born so early, but he did great! he was only in the nicu for two and a half weeks! and now, he is so big!! he gained weight really fast and if braeden isn't careful, caleb will outgrow him quickly! they are ten months apart and are going to be awesome to watch grow up. amanda is doing really well too. we were all blessed during this adventure.over the winter/spring, we all were very sick with the flu. we had hospital visits and tamiflu and all other kinds of meds. like one of the e.r. docs said, we had the "flu" flu, not just what people say when their tummy is upset. we thought we were all going to die, it was that bad. but, we survived and are all plugging along now.i spent some time in the hospital in march with a non-functioning thyroid, and according to the doctors i should have been dead or at least in a coma. it was pretty scary and i am still feeling some effects of it as my thyroid blood levels still aren't normal yet. my thyroid gland finally gave up the ghost and is not functioning at all anymore. feeling better now, but still not back to normal. well, it's the end of the school year and alex will be graduating on june 3rd. i can't believe it. it doesn't seem so long ago when he was born in germany and we were trying to come home to the states. now he's getting ready to go to college! crazy how time flies. evan is going to be a senior next year and that seems impossible also. not sure how all this happened! emily is doing great out in idaho at school. she'll be home the end of july and may be going back up there in january if she doesn't decide to go somewhere else; we'll have to wait and see. she is having fun and has been able to stay with the same roommates since she started school. they are going to be lifelong friends. adam is working at jim's restaurant until something opens up at the pioneer baking factory. they've told him he's in the next group that will be hired so he's excited about that. he may also be going to college once the job gets settled.tom is doing okay; he lost his job in march and is still trying to find another. military retirement and unemployment are all that is keeping us going right now; we'd be in a financial mess without those, and blessings from the Lord. hopefully things will work out and we won't have to worry too much longer!we're looking forward to summer and maybe heading towards the coast since it will be the first summer in recent history that i won't be having surgery! i can't put off the knee replacement in my other leg for long, but not this summer--i want to have some fun!
merry, merry christmas to you!this blog is doubling as my christmas letter again this year--what a great way to keep in touch...along with facebook! i spend far too much time on facebook for sure, but i really enjoy keeping up with and finding new friends.we've had a busy year, just like you, i bet. we were blessed to welcome our first grandbaby in april. his name is braeden thomas hansen. he is a wonderful addition to our family, and we adore him! he is adam and amanda's first baby. they are living with us as they work to get out on their own. they are all healthy and strong, and will be welcoming braeden's baby brother in april!adam is trying to find a job and wants to go to college. it's been a rough road for a while as far as jobs go, but we are optimistic. he enjoys being a daddy and is a good man. he's had a hard time growing up so fast but is doing well. he still loves singing and the theater. if you know anyone who can help him out, let us know!emily is home from college until january when she will return. she wasn't sure if she would be able to return because she has an injury to her knee and almost needed surgery. luckily, she got an injection and hopefully that will help with her pain for a while. she will graduate in july with an associate's degree and will attend another university for her batchelor's degree. she is working at bath and body works and really likes it. she is so fun to have around and we'll miss her when she goes off to school again.alex will be graduating from high school in june. he is working to clep out of an english class since there was no room in his schedule for it--too many music and band and choir classes! he is an amazing singer and tuba player. he made region level in both areas. he and evan were the first students at their new high school (it's three years old) to letter in two different activities. they both were pretty excited about that! alex is getting ready to play with a big group of tuba players at the riverwalk in a christmas festival. he looks forward to it each year. he's an awesome guy; the one all his friends come to when they need to talk. he will go to college locally until it is time to leave to be a missionary.evan is keeping busy with band and all his other activities. he plays snare drum, and his drumline was named the top drumline in the state with an extra award for the snares. we were all so proud of them! he is going to be in the theater department's production of grease and he is looking forward to it very much. he is a good student and a great friend.amanda is busy growing our newest grandbaby! she is quickly learning the ropes of being a mom to braeden. he's a handful now that he's getting around, and she is a wonderful mother to him. she's growing more everyday, and we feel blessed to have her in our family and mothering our grandchildren.braeden will be eight months old on christmas day. he is crawling everywhere and pulls himself up on stuff sometimes. he loves the mexican pots that we have on the floor by the tv. his favorite thing to do is to take the lids off and bang them on the pots. he is vocalizing and makes his opinion known to all! he is a blessing to us and we're so happy to have him in our life.tom is loving working from home as he's been doing for the past year. it is so great to have him here. he only went on one trip this year, to washington d.c. way better than the away-time in the air force! he is aging graciously and looks awesome with his silvery grandpa hair!!i just lay around and eat bon-bons all day while i soak up "days of our lives"! what a wonderful life! honestly though, there really does seem like there's a little less to do all day now that the kids are older. i try to find time to do some scrapbooking, and i make and sell greeting cards (let me know if you need some!) i've been canning more and i learned how to pressure can a few months ago. it's so fun! i did have a big surgery this year, and it was a very difficult recovery. i was hospitalized three times for complications before they finally found out i had mrsa and was on an antibiotic picc line for two weeks. scary times! i've finally healed up and am doing so much better.that's our life this year in a nutshell. we are all healthy and strong and grateful for the lord's kindness and blessings. we are thankful for this holiday season and the chance we have to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior jesus christ. we're grateful for his sacrifice for us and that we can live with him again. we pray that he will bless all of you with the things that you need and with comfort and joy. merry christmas, everyone!!
well, it's been an interesting past two months. august came and went in a blur. we had tom's birthday and our 25th anniversary to celebrate. adam and amanda got us a weekend at the marriott hill country resort and it was so nice. we were lazy and spoiled and it was awesome!! The boys started school; alex is a senior and evan is a junior. it's crazy...our high school days are almost over. it's really hard to believe. the boys are doing well this year and enjoying their activities. football season has begun and that makes me very happy!! i live for football season. we go to all the high school games (go johnson!) and watch the college games (go hogs, sooners, yellowjackets, cougars, etc!) and watch the occasional nfl team (go rams, colts, etc.). my favorite is college ball. who am i kidding?? i love it all!we have an announcement to make. we are going to be grandparents again!! adam and amanda are expecting their second baby in march. that means the baby and braeden will be 11 months apart. those of you who have had close babies (adam and emily are 16 months apart and alex and evan are 14 months apart) know what joy she has to look forward to!! she has been really lucky and hardly been sick at all. praying for a healthy baby (girl i hope!).braeden is almost crawling. he rolls wherever he wants to go now. he is so cute and so funny. we are blessed to have him in our lives.well, just a quick update to let you all know we're still around. still dyin' in the texas heat! we're all finally healthy if you don't count the occasional sore throat. we're loving life and each other. i'm going to try and find some new pictures to post on here to keep everyone up to date. until then, we love you all!!
