{Winning & Walking}

This weekend was quite an eventful one for the Hansens!

For starters, the Giants swept the Tigers in the World Series!! That makes two World Series Championships in three years :) We are obviously stoked and you wouldn't think that much else could top off that excitement in our sport-loving home, but during the 8th inning of last night's game Claire decided to take her first steps!!!

 She definitely made sure we would never forget that milestone! And best of all, Chris and I were both there to see it, not once, but twice. She's amazing and we're so excited to watch as her confidence in walking continues to grow. Way to go, sweet girl :)

It happened so quickly, we weren't able to capture pictures of the moment. Though, I do have these sweet pics of your royal cuteness a few hours before the game. Dang she's cute!

In other news, we took our first family trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday with the Grandmas and the Grandpas! Baby Girl picked out her first pumpkin, played in the hay and sat on a tracker, so clearly, fun was had by all!

Hope ya'll had amazing weekends!! Did I mention my baby walked this weekend?!! Happy Monday!

{The Journey}

Earlier this week I began to really reflect on these past several months. As I started looking at how many changes we've faced recently, I suddenly became deeply thankful for our journey. I am grateful for the unexpected twists and turns and happy to be where we're at today. I think for the first time in my life I am finally starting to let go of my need to plan out every detail of life.

Four years ago, as newlyweds in our first apartment, Chris and I had a conversation about where we saw ourselves in a few years. I never would have dreamed that today Chris would be working from home and writing about football full-time, that I would have the privilege of being a full-time mommy, that we would own a home and that we would be surviving as a one-car family! The doors that have opened and the opportunities presented to us have brought us to a place I couldn't have imagined. All this to say that where we are today has not come without some major flexibility, trust and letting go of previous expectations and plans we had for our life.

I realize that I haven't shared too much detail about how radically our life has changed over these past several months, so for those who don't already know, here's a little glimpse into our life lately. In the early spring, after working about six weeks as a part-time featured writer for Bleacher Report (in addition to his full-time job at BofA), Chris was offered a full-time position covering the AFC West. While extremely exciting, that was a huge decision for us to make and one we prayed long and hard about. In fact, it took us a few months to actually accept, because while it was the dream opportunity he had been waiting for, there was a lot for our family to consider, both financially and otherwise. We believed the Lord was leading us to accept and took a big leap of faith that He would provide for us.

Shortly after Chris quit his job at Bank of America and started writing full-time, he began looking for other writing opportunities on the side and in the midst of searching, an awesome opportunity presented itself for me! I applied as a local brand ambassador for Happy Family and was offered the position! It is a part-time position where I work from home, on my schedule and I am promoting a brand that I already know and trust with Claire! It's been such a wonderful fit for us and I am really enjoying learning my new responsibilities, as well as the flexibility to be a mom first!

I am amazed at the ways God has provided and excited to see what else He has in store! I can't tell you with complete certainty exactly where we'll live or the jobs we'll have in 5, 10, 20 years and that's okay. I am learning that "knowing" is a bit overrated!

In my reflecting the other day I considered what we could have missed out on if we had let fear of the unknown or our prior plans lead our decisions. To think about the wonderful opportunities we could have missed!

These last few years have been full of great victories and painful trials, yet they have built character and taught us to love one another better. And while we will still make plans for the future, I think we will hold them a bit more loosely. I'm learning that holding too tightly to our plans can limit what the Lord can do through us and I certainly want to experience all He has in store! So here's to the future, to the unknown and to the exciting adventures ahead, whatever they may be!

{Florida Vacation: 2012}

At the beginning of October the three of us, along with my parents, flew to Florida and spent eight glorious days visiting with my step-sister, Theresa, her husband Matt and two wonderful kids, Matthew and Taylor. (and yes, that does check #2 off of my 30 by 30!) It was one of those vacations where so many great memories were made and quality time was spent with people you love. You see, I hadn't seen my sister in 12 years and therefore, had never met my niece and nephew. So in addition to a restful vacation, it was also a long-overdue reunion!

We took in the beach, spent two days at Disney (both Epcot and of course, Magic Kingdom!), shopped at Downtown Disney, ate delicious home cooked meals, hung out in the pool and did a lot of catching up. Plus, the three of us got to spend Sunday afternoon with my dear friend and college roommate, Rebecca, who we haven't seen in 3 years!! Like I said, this was such a special trip, beyond just a lovely vacation!

We spread out the two days at Disney so we could rest up and not feel so overwhelmed. Epcot was our first park and wouldn't you know, we went during the International Food & Wine Festival! As it is, Epcot offers an amazing showcase of eleven countries, where you can feast on cuisine of that region, as well as shops and local experiences you might find there. Some of my favorites include: Germany, France and Morocco (although, they are all phenomenal!) But the festival made it feel as if you were getting a dining experience from all around the world! We had a wonderful day and Claire did fantastic for her first day at an amusement park!

The girls! (Chris sadly couldn't join us at Epcot because of work)

Looking across the beautiful lagoon, beginning our "trip around the world" :)

In China we met Mulan! Claire was quite smitten!

And somewhere around Morocco Jasmine and Aladdin made an appearance!

Hello, lovely!

On Saturday, which was also my parents 22nd anniversary, we introduced Claire to the happiest place on Earth!! I realize that many people have strong opinions as to when you should take kids to Disneyland/World, but I will say that it was such a magical experience for all of us! We got to experience Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, the Teacups, the carousel, the Main Street Parade and Fireworks with our little one, and all without a single complaint from her :) So whether or not she remembers this trip (which she will likely not!), the special memories for us will always be treasured. So maybe her remembering it doesn't matter because we all had an amazing time! Plus, she'll always have the pictures ;)

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

The entire park was completely decorated for Fall, so wonderful!

Mom & I having a Dole Whip, our favorite treat in Hawaii!!

Dad, Mom, Theresa & Taylor

My Sweeties!

Claire loved her first carousel ride!

Happy girl!!

Gorgeous sunset just before the parade

Grandma, Grandpa & the little Princess

Getting ready for the Main Street Electrical Parade!

And finally, some shots from a relaxing and beautiful day at the beach!

Taking her afternoon nap on Mama-melt my heart!

Sweet girl loves the water!

Our last night, shopping at Downtown Disney!

What an awesome week! Now, when can we go back?!?

{Truth Is}

The truth is, I am a terrible blogger. As of recently, anyway. Reality is, between one very active soon-to-be-toddler, our vacation to Florida, Claire's social calender, planning her first birthday party, Chris' newish job and my new job, blogging just hasn't gotten the attention I would love it to get.
You could say I've realized that I can't actually do it all. At least not without going insane. Shocking, right?

Anyway, this is my way of apologizing to this little ole' blog and getting back on track. I am ready to get back to regular posting for two reasons: the first being that I love having so many special memories to look back on and reminiscing over! And the second is that it was such a regular part of my routine for so long and I could really use some more of that in my life. I'll tell ya, being a WAHM can really throw you for a loop when it comes to structure. So let's pick up where we left off, shall we? Starting with our insanely wonderfully vacation we took to Florida in early October! Pop on by tomorrow for the details and pics!

Here's a little teaser, until we talk again~

 Happy Monday, friends!

Claire Elizabeth {11 Months}

Happy 11 months, Princess! Somehow we blinked and you have become a beautiful, playful, amazing almost-one-year old! We are grateful and joyfully overwhelmed by these last 11 months, yet it is so bittersweet to realize that your baby-ness is a faint memory. Darling girl, you are such a joyful presence to our family and we cannot imagine life without you!

As we have watched you grow into the sweet little lady that you are today, we have become keenly aware of what we have to look forward to; You are absolutely bursting with personality, charm and humor. You make us laugh and smile daily. You are completely fearless and confident in your abilities (even those you haven't fully mastered yet!) You are a fireball who will likely give us a run for our money this next year (and the many to come). You are the perfect combination of girly princess and care-free tomboy (something I love!) You are happy, curious and so loving!

This past month held many exciting things, including your first trip to Disney World! We traveled with you and your Grandma and Grandpa to Florida where you got to meet your Auntie Theresa, Uncle Matt and cousins, Matthew and Taylor! You also got to meet Mommy and Daddy's college friend, Rebecca!

Disney World was was such an amazing thing to experience with you and see through your eyes! You are so excitable and curious about your surroundings and you love to wave, clap, throw both hands up in the air, all things we saw a lot of while we were there :)

Some of your favorite things these days are phones, glasses and stairs; naturally, all things you shouldn't be playing with! You love to read and welcome getting dirty. You're currently rocking four teeth, which have made your adventurous eating skills even more fun for you! You are not yet a walker, but can cruise around furniture and people like it's nobody's business and are toying with standing independently!

As we embrace this last month of your first year, we continue to pray constantly that we will be parents who raise you with grace, truth and unconditional love. We love you, Claire Elizabeth, all the way up to the moon...and BACK!

All my love,
Mama