The Verdict Is In...

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... and I'd say they are right:In case you aren't quite sure what you are looking at, yes, those are two little boys happily displaying their manhood for the world to see! Yep, two more boys, and yes, I have already had my cry. Sam and I were hoping for at least one little girl, but that just wasn't in the cards for us, the Hansen genes are just too strong! I will say though, that I really have had a strong feeling and confirmation that this is how things are supposed to be, and I know the Lord is watching over us. Despite my various complications, the babies are big, strong, and healthy. We really couldn't ask for much more than that and are crossing our fingers things stay that way.

And summer begins...

Please don't faint! I know, it's pretty shocking that I'm updating my blog! I guess my goal of updating at least once a week has gone a little awry lately. But, rest assured, I won't make any empty promises to do better - we take things one day at a time here lately. :) Thanks to those who are patient with me and keep checking in from time to time - every once in a while your efforts will be worth it! :)
So, as to the Hansen family this past month, well, yep, I'm still having twins, and nope it wasn't all a joke! :) Things have been a bit crazy this time around. Not to mention being a whole lot sicker than I've ever been before, I've also had some problems with bleeding the past few weeks. Luckily, the babies are great and the problem has finally resolved itself and I'm feeling a lot better. My mom was in town the past few weeks to help with the kids, which was definitely a lifesaver! I was able to take it easy and get my health concerns under control and not have to worry about taking care of the kids. She was absolutely wonderful and took complete control of them - she even helped potty train the boys! She left Sunday night, and by Monday morning when the kids came into my room at 6:30am I was really missing her!!! Luckily, by the time she left I was starting to feel really good, and everything seemed to be turning around for the better. So, a big huge thank you to Mom!!! You are the best and I love you!!!!
We also reached a huge milestone within the past week - Sam had her last day of kindergarten and is now a 1st grader!! Don't worry, I'll be ok, I'm only crying a little bit! She really loves school and was pretty sad to say good-bye to her sweet teacher, but is super excited to be in first grade and get her very own desk!
The boys also had their last day of speech class last week. They have been going twice a week for an hour a day since January. It has been really good for them. It has helped them "use their words" more and focus on specific activities - not that they are very focused at home, but at least they do it somewhere. :) We aren't going to send them to kindergarten for another 2 years, so as we are figuring out what to do for them for preschool, this has been a really great option for them. They loved their teacher, Miss Jen, and of course loved the prizes she gave them every time they went to class.
So, now we are just trying to figure out what to do all summer! Luckily, I have a lot of extra help, thanks to awesome friends, and we will be spending a couple weeks down in Texas with Grandma and Grandpa, so they won't have to put up with their dead-beat mom too much.
As for Mike, he is still working like crazy at the hospital, as well as getting the house ready to sell. We aren't moving as soon as we had planned, so we don't have to be so crazy about getting it all done quickly, but we are still working on it so that we will be ready when the time is right - which will hopefully be within the next few months. I'm just not sure how long we can last in this house with 5 kids. :) He's really been a trooper though. Not only is he the dad right now, but also the bread-winner, the painter, the maintenance man, and often times the mom too - depending on how I'm feeling that day. I feel bad for him, it seems like every time we have a big move I'm pregnant with twins and can't help with too much. It might take me a while, but at least I can pack a few boxes - I'm not totally useless - well, not yet at least. :)

Say goodbye to white walls!

Well, since the last post, we've been in a little bit of "crazy" mode. We've had a lot to process and with that, a whole lot to do. We are currently trying to get our house ready to put on the market, which means decluttering - BIG TIME - painting - yeah no more white walls!, and finishing little odds and ends jobs here and there. Obviously we aren't too thrilled about putting our house up right now with the current market, but, you do what you have to do. So right now, we are just trying to do what we can to help it show well, and hopefully sell quickly. It's kind of a bummer though, we are finally doing things to it we've been meaning to do for years, and now it all gets done just before we leave. Oh well, that's the story of life, right? Well, of course there is more to do than time to do it, but hopefully it all gets done. Our goal is to list the house by June 1st, so cross your fingers for us - and any prayers you want to whisper on our behalf wouldn't hurt either. :) (Heidi we are still praying that you guys sell too!) Thanks everyone for all your support. We really appreciate all you are doing for us. We are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family.

Mysterious Ways!

I think we've all heard the phrase, "The Lord works in mysterious ways." I can't even begin to tell you how true this is! Many of you know the history and health complications I had with my twin boys, but for those of you who don't, here is a short little run down. At 31 weeks I ended up with HELLP syndrome, which is a very severe form of pregnancy induced hypertension, or pre-eclampsia. Basically, you become at risk for liver failure, seizures, coma, or even death. Needless to say, as soon as the doctors saw how bad my condition had become, they induced me right away and delivered the boys. Gavin and Kaden stayed in the hospital for 2 months, and I stayed for a week, while they tried to get my liver functions back to normal. After coming home I was on steroids for about 6-8 weeks to treat the condition. You would think that after all of that, I would be content with our family and not feel rushed to have any more children. But, even in the midst of all this, there was always another child in the back of my mind. I've always known there was at least one more child waiting to come to our family and despite everything, I couldn't forget about it. Mike, on the other hand, was completely satisfied with the 3 we had, and had no desire to risk my health again. So, for 4 years now, we've been at odds about whether or not we should have any more children. It has been very difficult for both of us, and very emotional at times. Finally, in January we agreed that we would try for one more child. Now for the "mysterious" part: The day we got home from our trip to Utah we found out that I was pregnant. Last week was our first appointment and ultrasound. All we wanted to see in the ultrasound was one healthy little baby, and for some reason, that was just not the Lord's plan for us. If you can see where this is going, yes, I am pregnant with twins...again! Needless to say, my first reaction was tears, and lots of them! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Seriously, what are the odds of this happening again, with no family history and no fertility drugs? This time though, they are fraternal, which means I have two of everything. My doctor is really hopeful at this point, since the two placentas should be less stress on me and the babies than the one placenta I had with the boys, since they are identical. I have had to change doctors since I delivered the boys, and am really happy with my new doctor. He is checking every possible resource to see what can be done at this point, and I feel really comfortable that he will do everything he can to take care of us. Thank you Laura for the recommendation!

So, what now? Well, at this point I am 8 weeks along, and of course already showing-I'm just not lucky enough to be one of those cute little pregnant women who only pop out right before the due date, I get BIG, and I mean, really BIG! :) My official due date is Nov. 26 - Thanksgiving, but we figure the babies will probably get here the end of September, beginning of October depending on how well things go. Right now all we can do is pray and know that this is the Lord's plan for us. We are trying to get everything in order that needs to be done, mainly selling this house and buying a new one. Luckily our van seats 7 so we are still good with our current car. Other than that, we figure we will do as much as we can to prepare, and rely on the Lord to help us with the things that are out of our control. Never before have we felt like our lives are so completely in the Lords hands, as much as they are at this moment. As anxious and nervous as we are right now, we know this is His will and we just have to trust that everything will be ok. Even with that faith, I have to admit I've still had a few hard days of worry, but luckily Mike has been so completely amazing and supportive from the moment we saw the twins in the ultrasound. He was right there holding my hand and drying my eyes, telling me everything would be ok. He has been my rock through this whole crazy week, and I can't even imagine what I would do if he wasn't so absolutely calm and put together right now. This is exactly what he was afraid of, and not once has he shown any regret or anxiety over the situation. He is wonderful, and I am so lucky to have him! The kids are all really excited, and it is so neat to see how tender they are toward the babies, even now, and to hear them talk about them in their prayers. We might even have a chance to please everyone, since Sam wants a sister and the boys want a brother! We'll find out in a couple months. As for me, as long as one is a girl, I'm happy. I love my boys dearly, but I've already been there, done that with the twin boy thing - a change would be nice. :)And here's the proof! Yes, the Lord truly does work in mysterious ways!!

Crazy Days!

Happy April Everyone!
I can't believe it is April already! Really, where has the time gone??? And to top it all off, Spring finally gets here, but so does all the snow. I'm watching the weather reports that show temps all over the country and long for those 70 degree days I see popping up in various parts of the country - but of course not here in Colorado! I am so ready for winter to be over!! Yes, we need the moisture, but really, snow? now? You would think for as long as I've lived here I would be over this kind of weather, but no, not really, every year I just keep hoping. At least I can say that it is melting pretty quickly, at least there's a positive side.
So, besides going crazy about the weather, we have actually had a pretty crazy life lately, so here's a run down for those enquiring minds dying to know:
Trip to Utah
(Of course I do have many pictures, but due to some little technical difficulties, they will just have to come later. )
In mid March we took a little trip to Utah and had a quick Bills family reunion, minus a few members of the family. March 15th marked the 10th anniversary of my little sister Katie's death. We all decided that we wanted to be together in Utah where she was buried to mark the occasion. It was the first time since her death that we all had a chance to be there together, and although it was definitely not the happiest of occasions, it was really amazing to be there with everyone. As we sat around trying to reminisce about Katie and describing who she was to our kids who never had the chance to know her, we shared some very special moments with each other, full of both tears and laughter. Sam's favorite part was that the fact that Katie was short kept coming up. For some reason she found this pretty hilarious, though I'm not sure why considering the towering height of her mother! :) I'm so glad we all went together and were able to spend such a difficult day with those we love, talking about our own special guardian angel.
Along with spending time with my family, we were able to visit many of our friends and other family members we haven't seen in quite a while. It was a really quick trip, packed with tons of adventures from visiting Temple Square in Salt Lake to walking around good old BYU down in Provo. We don't get back to visit very often, but always have a great time when we go. Thanks to all our family and friends who took care of us and took time out of their busy life to see us. And, for those we couldn't catch this time around, we definitely missed you and hope to see you next time we get back in town. We love you all and had a great time!

Congrats to Mike!
A few days after we got back from Utah, Mike had his Nightingale banquet. Mike was a nominee for the Denver/Boulder area last year, and was nominated for a second time this year. The Nightingale Award is a nursing award given to outstanding nurses across the country. Out of over 200, 000 nurses in the area there were only 181 nominees, of which, only 7 were men. It is really a great tribute to Mike and his abilities as a nurse that he has been nominated twice for this award and shows how many people at the hospital; patients, co-workers, and supervisors really appreciate what he does and how hard he works. I am so proud of him and of course already know how great he is! :)

And the rest...
As for the rest of the story, we are just going through our day like everyone else. I'm just trying to get the motivation to get on top of it all, instead of just surviving. I'm thinking that as soon as the weather gets nice, then the motivation will return (ahh, there's that darn weather again...). :) It's not so bad though, the kids are great, and happy, and either keep us laughing or pulling our hair out.
Oh life, it's such a great thing!