So WOW….its been quite a year! We have had a lot happen since I wrote last.
Christmas was awesome! It was nice to share our lil man with our families for the holidays. We went to Christmas Eve at Christine’s grandparents and then we did Christmas Day with Jimmy’s family at his parents house. We were lucky to have Jimmy’s sister & husband, Andria & Ian including their lil boy, Aidan with us this year….which was great because we finally got to meet Aidan and the boys got to meet each other. Tristan wasn’t quite sitting on his own yet and Aidan was just starting to scoot around on the floor. They loved meeting each other and couldn’t wait to get a little bigger so they could really PLAY together. We also got to see Jimmy’s dad, Chris before they left and got a great picture of Grandpa Chris with both of his Grandsons!
Next up…We bought our first home!
It’s a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath, 2-story home. Attached 2-car garage. On the inside of the curve in a court so we have a nice wide, pie-shaped lot that is almost a ¼ acre, which is great for the dogs. We moved in on New Years Eve, after many weeks of demo and remodeling. Jimmy was over here almost everyday after work ripping out flooring, repairing walls/ceilings, painting, putting in ceiling fans etc etc etc…..there was so much to be done before we could move Tristan into this house. Jimmy removed carpet from the living room and the stairs, removed tile from the dining room, hallway, kitchen and family room and all the wood flooring upstairs. Then we found out that the carpet we chose wasn’t going to be manufactured until January, so lucky for us the carpet guy (helps to know people in the business) said he would install temporary carpet and then when ours was ready help us move furniture and such to install the new stuff….all because we had to move before our carpet would be ready. So that’s what happened. We got some really nice ugly dark brown, marbled, apartment grade carpet that didn’t reach the walls, in the 2 living rooms and our bedroom and Tristan’s bedroom only. Man were we happy when the new, pretty, off white, speckled carpet was put in. We have carpet in all the bedrooms and hallway upstairs, on the stairs and in the living and family rooms. We re-used the wood from upstairs to do the entry, hall and dining room. And Jimmy re-tiled the kitchen, on the diagonal, which I understand is the most difficult choice for laying tile. It all looks great!
In March I was laid off after 5 years with Flatiron. Basically it was because of the economy and the lack of jobs, that they were going to eliminate my position. I was shocked…but it was something Jimmy & I had wanted to happen so that I could start a small childcare business at home. It has been great being able to stay home with Tristan rather than him going to daycare and being cared for by other people for 9-10 hrs a day.
Also, in March we lost Jimmy’s Grandmother, Irene Hansen. She had been sick at the time, but we thought she was on the mend and then suddenly she took a turn for the worse and she is now in heaven. She will be missed and we are so grateful that she was able to spend some time with both of her Great Grandsons before leaving us. Then as if that wasn’t hard enough on the family, in April, Jimmy’s dad, Chris, passed away. It was absolutely, sudden and unexpected and really sent the family into a whirlwind of emotions. We had a beautiful service for each of them. At least we can have comfort in knowing that they are together watching over all of us from heaven and they are no longer in any pain. We are so grateful of the picture we captured of Chris with his 2 grandsons at Christmas as it was the first and only time we had all 3 of them together.
"4 generations of Hansen men"
It's not everyday that you are able to get a picture of 4 generations ...so we made sure to get this shot.
We are so grateful now that we did.
Moving on to happier times….In May we found out that Jimmy’s sister is pregnant again.
She is due November 10, 2010 and its another boy! His name is Colin Christian.
We are excited with the anticipation of welcoming another boy into the family and can’t wait to see Aidan as a BIG Brother!
In June we purchased a new car. We got a 2009 Toyota Sienna. Yes, I got a minivan! Lol It seats 8 people.
We also celebrated Tristan’s FIRST Birthday! A great time was had by all! It was a cowboy theme. We had a good 30-40 people show up including family, friends and lots of kids. Tristan got a TON of new clothes, toys and books. He had chocolate cake and made a huge mess. He was so worn out that he took a 3-4 hour nap afterwards.
Lastly, also in June, Jimmy decided to leave Hearn Construction after 5 years of dedicated service. He has joined Doug Ross Construction. They are based out of Palo Alto and he is currently working on a project in Santa Cruz. He stays at his best friends house in Santa Cruz a night or two a week and comes home the rest of the time. Its hard, but we make it work. Who knows, maybe we will end up moving back to the South Bay Area. Because of this, I have put getting a childcare license on hold, as the requirements and stuff can change from county to county.
In August, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary and shortly after, we found out we are pregnant again! We are due March 10th, 2011. It is still too early to know if it’s a boy or girl…but we will be sure to let you all know as soon as we know.
Tristan growth update....At his 1 year check up he was 25 lbs 12 oz (95th%) and 2ft 6in (43rd%). He officially learned to walk at his birthday party is is running allover now. He is also showing signs of 'terrible twos' and hes only 14 1/2 months old.
So that is the news in our lives! We hope all is well with you and yours! I’ll try to write again soon.
Love,
Christine, Jim, Tristan & Baby#2!!!!!