Jen and Kara

Great Moms...Bad Bloggers

2011-07-11T16:56:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry we haven't been updating very often. We've been busy enjoying our little man. He is the best and just to prove it watch the video!

Eviction Notice

2011-05-22T14:32:00.005-06:00

Parker John was evicted from the womb on Monday, May 16th at 10:29pm! He came out at 8 lb and 1 oz with a head circumference of 38cm.

It was a long day of being induced, but both Mama Kara and Parker John came out well. Thankfully Mama Kara was already dilated to 4cm or we would have been waiting even longer for Parker to arrive. She began receiving Pitocin at 9:45 am and began pushing at 9:50pm. Throughout the day the doctor kept telling us Parker had a big head which made both of us think that a c-section may be in order to get little Parker to meet the world. However, he kept descending and allowed his Mama Kara to push him right out. The doc had prepared us that it would take a couple hours to push Parker out, but Mama Kara was a Rock Star and did it in only 40 minutes! After the first contraction the doctor made me look and you could already see Parker's head and cute little hair. The doctor then put on his sterile gown and stayed for the rest of the labor. No one was expecting Kara to push out her first baby in only 40 minutes.

He is the sweetest little boy and is making his Mamas so happy. We have waited a long time for him to arrive and now that he's here it has all been worth it. He's perfect with his button nose, long fingers, and even longer toes. He seems to have gotten his little monkey toes from his Aunt Ashley.

We were discharged from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon and were settled in at home by 1:30pm. As we were leaving our nurse told us Parker is one of the few healthy babies to be born at the local hospital within the past week. I knew we were lucky that he was healthy because we'd see other babies receiving extra care in the nursery, but I didn't realize just how lucky we were. We were even luckier that everyone treated us with respect in the small town of Laramie, WY. No one in the hospital or involved in the delivery had any problems with the fact that we are a same sex couple. In fact, the nurses fought over coming into our room because Parker was healthy and his two mamas were fun. The nurses even crossed out "daddy" and put "mommy" so that Mama Jen could be included on his name tag that was in his little bin (that's what we called the hospital's version of a bassinet).

Unfortunately Mama Jen's name can't be on the birth certificate in the state of Wyoming. Only the biological parents are allowed to put information on it. So, our birth certificate will show Parker as not having a Father which is perfectly fine because he doesn't, he has a sperm donor.

The dogs are already adjusting to Parker, but they still don't like it when he cries. They also can't figure out why he gets to go everywhere with the Mamas and they don't. Nakai is his protector and checks on him whenever we set him down to sleep. Pseudo is the licker and cleans his feet and hands.

Now that the Mamas are getting rested we are hoping to update the blog at least once a week. Thanks for being patient and keeping all of us in your thoughts and prayers during our long journey to becoming parents and a family.

Stubborn Little Boy

2011-05-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

Parker is now three days overdue. He decided he didn't want to make this Mother's Day extra special for us. Instead he would like us to wait a year to be able to truly celebrate Mother's Day. The little stubborn stinker!

Kara went to the doctor on Monday and was 4cm dilated. At this time she is still not experiencing any contractions. We are waiting for labor to start spontaneously. If it doesn't then we go to the local hospital at 7am on Monday morning to be induced.

Kara only worked until noon today and then she started her maternity leave. She came home and slept for three hours. Wasn't much else to do since it snowed here in Laramie today.

Don't worry, there is free WiFi in the hospital so Jen (that's me) will be posting pictures while we are still in the hospital.

2 cm

2011-05-04T18:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and I am 2 cm dilated! I was pretty excited about this until today at school, the nurse said to me, "Half the world's pregnant women are 2 cm dilated!" Way to burst my bubble...hmmm, I wish my bubble would burst! :) Actually, I thought it was funny. I know 2 cm means nothing! But it is a glimpse of hope.

I'm getting worried about the size of this kid. The doc thinks he's on the high end of 7 pounds. Actually, I'm more worried about the size of his head. I think they should put head circumference on sperm donor profiles. That would have helped make the decision as to who to pick!!!

Jen and I are off to a dinner out. We are trying to get our "us" time in now before the baby arrives. Thanks everyone for your support throughout our journey to our baby.

One Week

2011-05-01T20:59:00.002-06:00

It's official. We are down to 7 days until Parker John's due date. Kara has been doing great getting everything ready for him. She put the Pack 'n Play together, which came with the world's worst directions! Then she put together the swing. It was a snap compared to the Pack 'n Play. And right now she is putting the finishing touches on the bouncer. She likes doing this kind of thing and knows that I tend to get very frustrated.

Today we took the dogs for a ride in the car and ended up going for a hike at Vedauwoo. They absolutely loved it. Pseudo is still sleeping and we got home six hours ago. Kinda weird though going on our first hike without Molly. She would have had so much fun with her sister and brother. Someday we will see her again. We both really miss that dog even though she did slobber and eat poop all the time!

Kara is almost packed for the hospital. She has her list broken down into what to pack before labor begins (this is almost done) and what to pack once labor starts. She cracks me up. She has so much packed and will probably only be there for two days.

We will keep everyone update on Parker's arrival. Thanks for following us for so long as we've been on this journey of adding a little one to our family.

Don't mess with the pregnant teacher!

2011-04-26T09:42:00.003-06:00

I am currently sitting in my classroom, ignoring a naughty little boy who seems to think he can upset a 38 week pregnant teacher. Hmmm...he's probably right, but I'm not going to let him know that! :)

So I went to the doctor yesterday and they checked me out. I was very disappointed to find out that I am not dilated at all. :( I was hoping for at least 1 cm. But maybe this is better. At least I won't be expecting to go into labor at any moment. I have 12 days until my due date. Never has time gone so slowly!

By the way, does anyone have any good stories about being extremely emotional while pregnant? I'm trying to prove to other people that I am normal!!!

BABY BUMP!!!

2011-04-03T13:12:00.003-06:00

Only 5 weeks left....that's only 35 days, people!!! Yay, us! We went shopping yesterday and found these two great picture opps. :) Check them out.

Up until now, this pregnancy has been pretty good. However, within the last week...

1. I can't sleep.

2. I cry all the time!

3. I have aches and pains in places you don't want to know about.

4. And I am getting stretch marks!

But it will all be worth it SOON! :)

Parker's Check-Up

2011-03-05T07:15:00.002-07:00

Kara went to the doctor again on Thursday. Parker's heartbeat was strong and he's continuing to grow. It is getting so exciting!! For now Kara is going to the doctor every two weeks because there's only 10 weeks left until Parker is due to be born. When it gets even closer she will be going to the doctor weekly. Thankfully the doctor said there is no reason for me to go to any of the doctor appointments because nothing exciting will be happening. She told Kara "We save all the excitement for the hospital." This is good news because I haven't been at my job for six months yet and I'm not to take any time off before then. As it is I'm only going to get to take off five days when little Parker John arrives.

Kara spent a little time talking to some of the nurses that helped us through the insemination process. They are so happy for us, it's just amazing. Like me, they can't believe we are only ten weeks from delivery. The time has gone so fast.

Here's to hoping the next 10 weeks go just as fast!

Sadness on Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-20T20:22:00.006-07:00

On February 6th we had to put our basset, Miss Molly Moose, to sleep. We came home from grocery shopping and her back left leg was no longer working and she had to scoot around the house. By the time the Super Bowl started she wasn't even trying to scoot around anymore. At half time we made the decision to have her put to sleep since she couldn't walk and she was 12 years old.

After the Super Bowl the vet came to the house, talked to us, and then put her to sleep. I had never done this before so I asked lots of questions and was assured it would be quick and painless. Kara, me, the vet, and his wife sat around her as she was put to sleep. Then we all pet her for awhile before they took her. They had her cremated for us.

We have the best vet in the world. It was so important that he be the one to do it (a different vet was actually on call). He has so much compassion for animals and likes how we care for our pets.

So now we are down to only two crazy critters. A Nakai and a Pseudo. They seemed to miss Molly at first because they were looking around the house for her. Now there is only one blanket that still smells like her and they regularly sleep on it. It's very cute and I don't know when I will be able to bring myself to wash that last blanket.

The two dogs have adjusted to being without their other sister and Nakai has become much more loving. She's usually a loner but she's been asking for love a lot lately. That makes me happy that she's adjusting so well to not having Molly around. If only I was adjusting as well as the dogs.

Parker's Room

2011-02-20T18:05:00.004-07:00

Kara and I are getting super excited for the arrival of little Parker John. We have 11 weeks to go, but the nesting has begun!! This past week we finished painting, put up the wall decals, rearranged the room, put up new curtains, bought a new lamp, and bought a rug. We had everything finished by Wednesday. That was a good thing because we had lots of company on Friday night (Kara plays Bunco with a bunch of ladies). They all loved his room. The only thing missing is a chair, but there's no room for one in Parker's little room. However, we have two rocking recliners in another room upstairs and that is where we will spend lots of time rocking Parker and soothing him so he will go back to sleep.

I guess we aren't quite done with his room. We bought a shelf yesterday and haven't put it up yet, but it is so close to being done that I wanted to post pictures. I think his room turned out absolutely adorable and suitable for a boy.

The night light my mom made me when I was little. Kara hates it, but it will be staying in Parker's room.

BOY, OH BOY!!!

2010-12-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our 19 week ultrasound today. And yes, Baby Mo is a BOY! His name will be Parker John Gade Hansen. Whether he likes it or not his nickname will probably always be Mo. We've told friends and family and they are so excited for us. It's a great feeling.

Kara was pretty funny at the ultrasound. She made the tech look twice to verify that he really was a boy. I think she was kind of in shock, her mommy intuition told her she was going to have a baby girl. Oh well, boys are just as good. And the good news is that everything the tech looked at was normal meaning we have a healthy boy growing in Kara's tummy. Woo hoo.

We will post pictures of the ultrasound soon. Promise.

Pictures from Week 10

2010-11-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Sorry, I'm a little (okay...a lot) slow at updating. I didn't want to do anything during the first trimester. I was so tired, and I just wanted to sleep. Thank goodness for the second trimester. :) Here are some pictures from Week 10.

The head is on the right and the legs are on the left. But I think it just looks like a bunny.

Currently I am at Week 16 and on December 14th we will have another ultrasound and find out if its a boy or a girl. For now, the name for a boy is Parker John Gade Hansen and for a girl Kennedy Grace Gade Hansen.

We are calling it "Mo" (for now).

2010-09-21T21:25:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share the first ultrasound photo. Mo is between the arrows and the dot is his/her heart. (Hearing the heartbeat was so incredibly amazing.) The circle is the yolk sac. Disregard the info in the lower right hand corner. It's wrong. I'll have to have a talk with the doctor about this! :)

Thanks everyone for your well wishes.

Kara

Kara is Pregnant

2010-09-20T13:11:00.000-06:00

That's right folks, the little swimmers did their job. Kara is pregnant and we couldn't be happier! We had an early ultrasound last week due to the previous ectopic pregnancy. The baby was too small to measure, but we did see and hear the heartbeat. It was going at a rate of 120 beats per minute. The baby is just now seven weeks.

Our family and friends are very excited as well (and so are the nurses at the doctor's office). Between the failed adoption over the 4th of July and the news of this pregnancy we are relearning just how valuable and caring our friends are here in Wyoming. The support is just amazing and we are so blessed to have all these people in our lives.

We have our next ultrasound on the 14th of October. At that time they will be able to measure the baby. I don't know what else they will do then other than tell us the due date. However, since we know when Kara was impregnated it's pretty easy to determine the due date. It should be either the 8th or 9th of May. This is perfect timing for us due to Kara being a teacher. She will be able to take the last month off from school (thankfully she has that much time saved as long as she doesn't get sick) and then she will have three more months due to summer vacation. That means she will get to spend 4 months with our little one before returning back to work.

We hope everyone is as excited as we are. This has been a very long process. It has been four years since we first began the adoption process. It is a very good feeling knowing that our family will finally be expanding and will include a little one.

Thanks for all the prayers and support! We truly appreciate it. Keep coming back for more updates on the pregnancy.

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!

2010-08-12T07:08:00.000-06:00

Here we go again. Round 5! Fifth times a charm???

Jen is ordering swimmers today. Thanks B772 (whoever you are!)
Tomorrow we have a follicle check and I get a shot in the ass! Yay!
And Saturday and Sunday we "Think Romantic Thoughts" as one of our doctors puts it. :)

Wish us luck (AGAIN!)

Tomorrow the doctor will attempt to impregnate me!

2010-07-17T17:50:00.000-06:00

Hehe...I think its funny that my doctor can go home and tell his wife that he tried to get me pregnant! :)

The birthmom changed her mind.

2010-07-08T15:46:00.000-06:00

What else is there to say? We are very, very sad.

BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-03T09:29:00.000-06:00

We were contacted by our homestudy agency in Cheyenne on Wednesday night. The social worker on the other end of the phone said, "I think we have a baby for you." And I thought but didn't say, "Who is this? Where did they get this information? And this is NOT funny!" After I realized that it wasn't a joke, Jen got on the phone too and we made plans to meet the potential birthmother the next day. She is due July 29th but is having contractions. She will probably have a c-section any day now. And...it's a boy! :)

If all goes well, our next post will have pictures!

Kara and Jen

Update

2010-05-19T10:33:00.000-06:00

Well, we had good news for a few weeks. Kara did get pregnant with the third round of artificial insemination. Unfortunately, the pregnancy was ectopic and we had to terminate it. Kara has had tons of blood drawn and is now a real pro at it, as long as she is in a reclined position. Her hormone levels have finally started to decrease so this is good news. Means the possibility of having to have surgery to terminate the pregnancy is extremely low. She will continue to get blood work done once a week until her hormone level returns to zero. Also, due to the fertility meds she has cysts on one ovary. So, once her hormone level is at zero and the cysts shrink we can then try artificial insemination again. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't be able to try at all this summer. Bummer!

Thanks to everyone that had their fingers crossed for us. It almost worked.

GEARING UP FOR ROUND FOUR!

2010-04-15T20:46:00.001-06:00

Here we go again. We've only tried three times and I feel like we've been trying forever. I am so sick of doctors poking and prodding me! Well, that's all the news I have for now. Please send us some baby dust, good baby vibes, and prayers.
Kara

Hoping...

2010-03-31T17:10:00.000-06:00

...that the third times a charm. Thursday and Friday we go to the doctor for the third attempt at artificial insemination. Please say prayers and/or keep your fingers crossed. We can't wait to be moms and are hoping it happens soon.

Ugh!

2010-03-20T10:46:00.000-06:00

It didn't work. *sad*

Inseminating cattle seems to work...why doesn't it work for me?

Swimmers!

2010-03-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, after the disappointment with our "unmatch", we decided to try artificial insemination again. Originally, I thought that we should wait until Jen finishes her dissertation because I thought she might be a little overwhelmed. However, after our unmatch I decided I couldn't wait anymore (so Jen would just have to suck it up). Anyway, on Monday morning AND Tuesday morning, I was inseminated. We inseminated twice this month to increase our chances of pregnancy. We should know if we are pregnant by March 29th.

Side note: Living in Wyoming, the only experience people have with insemination is with cattle. So I've heard lots of stories about inseminating cattle! *rolling eyes*

Unmatched

2010-02-10T19:16:00.001-07:00

Well, after just a few days of bliss our match is over. The birthmom found someone to help her raise her child and has decided to be a mom afterall. Our hearts are crushed right now and we are relying on each other to get through this tough time.

Not sure where we are gonig with adoption at this time. We are more than likely going to persue artificial insemination though. Feels like something we have more control over and that's important to us right now.

Thanks to everyone who was keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. It really does mean a lot to us knowing we have so many wonderful people thinking about us and hoping things work out and we have a child in the future.

Thanks again.

Officially Unofficial

2010-02-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

We are unofficially matched with birthparents (A&B)! Yay! This means that they chose us to adopt their baby and we have agreed to proceed with the process. We hope to meet them over Spring Break and have an official match meeting. A is due June 12th and we are super excited! She finds out if its a boy or a girl on February 16th. Please, please cross your fingers, cross your toes, and pray pray pray that this is our baby.

Kara and Jen

MAYBE BABY!

2010-01-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we are not pregnant! :( Very sad! However, we are talking to a potential birthmother. We are very excited about this "maybe baby." So we have decided to hold off on more inseminations until we know more about this situation and/or until Jen finishes that darn dissertation! It's all just too much right now!

So cross your fingers, cross your toes, send out good vibes, pray, etc., etc. that this is our baby! We are so excited to become mommies!

Task Complete

2010-01-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. We went to the doctor on Sunday and Kara is now insemminated. There is a 25% chance she is pregnant. Not a very high likelihood, but we're still hopeful and staying optimistic.

The insemination was quite the process, but it went very quickly. First we had to wait for the sperm to thaw (never thought I'd say that!). Then it was time for the procedure. Jen (that's me) was the doctor's assistant and got to hold the sperm twice. Yippee or is it yucky? Anyway, the doctor used a small catheter to insert the sperm into Kara's uterus after dilating her cervix. That's when Kara seemed to be in the most pain, during the dilation. After that we were done. We just had to sit with Kara's behind in the air for 20 minutes.

We got back in about a week to have a blood test to make sure Kara did ovulate and then if she doesn't get her next menstrual cycle (everyone keep your fingers crossed and the good vibes coming!) we do a pregnancy test on the 31st.

Tomorrow is the day...

2010-01-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

that we have our first insemination. The doctor says that we have a 25% chance of getting pregnant tomorrow (depending on the quality of our swimmers). SCARY! EXCITING! CRAZY! Keep your fingers crossed!

How we are bringing in the new year...

2010-01-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Kara started taking Clomid, a fertility drug. We will go to the doctor soon to find out if Kara has a mature egg. Then...after we finally choose a donor (which is way harder than it sounds)...we will go back to the doctor to be inseminated. Wish us luck!

Dr. Freitag and the Diamond Headache Clinic

2009-12-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

This post is by Jen, just so none of you out there get confused :) Well, yesterday I had a check-up with Dr. Freitag at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. He changed my nightly medicine and added additional pain meds for me to choose from when I have my migraine attacks. Unfortunately it means I have to carry more medications with me, but it also means I have a better chance of keeping the pain under control. This is especially good news since I'm going to begin working really hard on my dissertation in order to graduate in May.

The really good news is that I didn't have to go into the hospital in order for him to change my medication. That means one less medical bill for me to pay which is a good thing since I'm still paying off bills from the first two times I was in the hospital in Chicago and the ER visits from right before my first visit to the Headache Clinic.

The other good news is that Dr. Freitag gave me a ton of free samples. He gave me three months of one of my medications. That saves me almost $400 and is worth $2400. He also gave me a bunch of other samples too. Considering he called himself "Mean Dr. Freitag" he was a pretty nice guy and I can't thank him enough for all the samples. I also can't thank him enough for all of the time he spends with me as he is trying to help me. He's a good guy and I just know that one of these days we are going to get my migraines under control so I can lead a happier and more playful life.

Dr. Freitag did make more work for me though. I have to track my headaches with more accuracy and more detail. By this I mean I have to note the type of pain so that I can tell what is different about each headache. By doing this he hopes we can figure out why different pain meds work sometimes but not others. He also thinks that this will help him to better identify the preventative medication he needs to prescribe to help me have fewer attacks. So I think I'm going to modify his headache calendar and have it printed on legal size paper so that I have a place to track everything he is looking for. That's a lot to do for the next six months, which is the next time he thinks I need to come back for an appointment.

That's all for now. Here's hoping everything starts to improve!!

I shaved my legs!

2009-11-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is sad...but that is all I have to report. I shaved my legs. And...it is noteworthy...because it hardly ever happens. :) Actually, this was a couple days ago. Now I need to shave again. And the reason I need to shave again is because I have to go to the girly doctor tomorrow for my yearly. But...that's not all...I'm also going to talk to her about getting knocked up! This adoption thing just doesn't seem to be working out...so Jen and I are going to try this new route to becoming mommies. I'm excited, nervous, scared, anxious, happy, sad, etc., etc. about this. I am scared of being pregnant (I don't wanna puke for 90+ days)...and I'm terrified of giving birth (I don't want to be in so much pain that I actually ASK for a needle shoved up my spine!). So I guess I did have a little more to report than just shaving my legs... :)
Kara

Christmas Shopping

2009-11-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

We did it! We braved the crowds in Ft. Collins today and did a bunch of Christmas shopping. All the little ones in our lives are taken care of and should be very happy when they get their gifts. It is so much fun buying gifts for little ones. We can't wait til we get to buy gifts for our own little one. That will be even more fun!

It's not even Thanksgiving and our Christmas shopping is almost done. Yippee! This way we can can enjoy the holiday season without having to do lots of shopping.

Here's hoping the rest of you are getting your shopping done too!

School and Work

2009-10-27T09:10:00.001-06:00

We both went back to school in late August and Jen got a last minute job to pay for her schooling and provide a stipend. It was definitely a blessing! Kara has a very full class this year and she enjoys working with the kids. Some days are harder, but that's true in most jobs.

Jen is teaching a Diagnosis and Psychopharmacology class to first year masters students in the Counselor Education program. This and providing supervision (of their counseling) to the first year students is what is paying for her school. Of all the classes the department offers this is the one class Jen really wanted to teach so she is very excited. At times it is more work than expected, but it is very rewarding and will help with her future career goals of being an adjunct professor.

Jen is also still working on her dissertation. She has 3 of her 4 research participants and has interviewed each of them one time. She also has a lead on her 4th participant so things are looking great for her to be able to graduate in May 2010! Very exciting for both of us.

Jen is also a business owner now. She is co-owner of Alliance for Growth: Counseling & Consulting, LLC which is where she does her private practice counseling. The economy is hitting the business hard, but things should work out.

We are both enjoying our crafts and have been doing a lot of quilting and a little knitting. Both of us have finished projects in the last couple of weeks and are trying to finish up some quilts before we start new ones. The unfinished projects were starting to take over the room so they really needed to be finished!

Way Overdue Update

2009-10-27T08:33:00.000-06:00

So, it's been forever since Kara or I (Jen) have posted an update to the blog. I'll start with the vacation we took with my mom and Dad to Yellowstone in late June/early July. We had a great time. Even saw a bear! Below are some of my favorite pictures.

This is the first elk my mom remembers seeing. We took a family vacation to Yellowstone the summer I turned 8, but she didn't remember much from the vacation. It was cool to see her reaction to seeing an elk. I took lots of pictures of this elk just for her!

Above is a really cool burned tree. My parents do Old West shooting competitions and Dad was with me when we saw this tree. It reminded both of us of a man holding his arms up saying "Don't shoot!"

Buffalo just amaze me. This is one of my favorite shots and I took lots of pics of buffalo! We did see a buffalo taking a dirt bath, but the pictures didn't turn out.

Upper Falls at Yellowstone. As most of you know water amazes me and it is one of my favorite things to take photos of. I could have stayed at the waterfall for hours just staring and listening!

Jen, Kate, Gerry, and Kara. We had a great time on this vacation. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Here is Old Faithful. A trip to Yellowstone wouldn't be complete without it. If it went off more frequently I could have stayed there and watched it a few more times.

Somewhere I also have pictures of a buffalo herd and a bear. When I find them I will post them.

Thanks for being patient. We will try to do a better job of updating the blog!

New website

2009-09-18T08:18:00.000-06:00

Check out our new website! Tell us what you think...

www.jenandkara.com

Our lives in 3 minutes and 30 seconds!

2009-08-02T20:53:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that I (Kara) made this video! I am getting so tech savvy! It's amazing!

Jen's Aunts Visited

2009-07-23T17:22:00.001-06:00

Aunt Louise, Kara, and Aunt Lori

Rocky Mountain National Park

The second weekend of June was filled with the visit of Jen's two aunts, Lori & Louise. They were a riot and it was great having them out here to visit. It was a quick visit, but we packed it as full as possible so that it would be memorable. The first day we went down to Rocky Mountain National Park and then the next day we went to Vedauwoo just East of Laramie.

Lori has been out here a few times, but never got to see the Bighorn Sheep in Rocky Mountain National Park. This time she finally got to see them, well their butts at least. She practically stole some guys binoculars so that she could see them way up the mountain. Oh well, at least she got to see them. It was kinda like a kid in a candy store!

Louise had never been out to visit us or the area. She was just amazed and couldn't stop taking pictures. She even took a picture of the back seat, okay probably not on purpose but it sure was funny. Louise kept all of us laughing the whole weekend. I think she enjoyed Vedauwoo the most, she got to look at the rocks and use her imagination to see the shapes they made. I can't even make a list she "saw" so many things in those rocks.

It was a great weekend and they are both invited back any time. Below are some pictures from the weekend. Oh, we even saw a porcupine and watched it climb a tree! Craziness.

Yellow Bellied Marmot playing peek-a-boo.

Jen's favorite place on earth.

Reflection in Bear Lake

It's been a long time

2009-07-23T12:01:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been a long time since Kara or I have updated this blog. So, briefly here is what has been going on. Stay tuned for pictures, lots of them....

1. Two of Jen's aunts came out to visit for a weekend and we went to Rocky Mountain National Park and Vedauwoo

2. Jen's niece had her first birthday. Then the grandparents came to Wyoming and we went to Buffalo, Cody, and Yellowstone. It was a good time with lots of good pictures to come.

3. We celebrated our 9th anniversary on July 7th.

4. Kara is currently on vacation with her mom and new stepdad, David. Guess where? Yellowstone, that's right. Kara is there for the second time in 3 weeks and the third time in a year.

5. Kara and her family will proceed to Logan, UT to see her sister, brother-in-law, and cute little nephew Clay for a few days before they come home to Laramie.

6. Just today Jen did her fisrt interview for her dissertation. What a relief to finally be proceeding and get the first one out of the way.

7. Kara and her family have seen 3 bears in Yellowstone already!

The Ugliest Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-06-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

The mountains "opened" on Memorial Day weekend. Every year we drive through the Snowy Range when it first opens. Here are some pretty cool pictures from our drive.

This shows just how deep the snow was. Apparently, it was 20 ft. deep in some places (or so we were told.)

Kara loves this picture. Do you see which way the stop sign is facing? That means that there is(or is supposed to be) a road right there!

We also went to Rocky Mountain National Park. On the way there we saw this cute little Bighorn sheep. He's so adorable...I want him for my very own! :)

And finally, we saw thousands of Elk in the park but they are not very attractive right now because they are losing their winter coats. This gal came very close to our car and we dubbed her "The Ugliest Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park."

If you want to see more pictures, check out Jen's Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/people/jjrude/

In other news...

Kara only has one and half days of students left, then two and a half more days of staff development and she is done with the school year!!! Bring on summer!!!

Jen did not get the job that she blogged about in the previous blog. :( But that's okay because she is going to build up her private practice. She got her own office and is having lots of fun decorating it. So if anyone knows any mentally unstable people in Laramie, tell them about Jen. Heehee.

Enjoying Some Time Off

2009-05-21T10:16:00.000-06:00

Jen is officially done with her graduate assistant position at the University of Wyoming and is enjoying some much needed time off. She's trying to stick to a routine though in order to manage her headaches and it's working out okay so far. The last week has been rough, but overall the past two months have shown so much progress it is unbelievable. She would definitely recommend The Diamond Headache Clinic to anyone who suffers from migraines.

Jen is also waiting to hear back about the interview she had last Tuesday. She could hear anytime between now and the 29th of May. The wait is starting to get on her nerves, but hopefully the wait will be worth it. This potential job is nearly the "ideal" job that she could wish for. Pretty cool to have the opportunity to have your "almost" dream job and only be 30 (well almost 30).

Kara is counting down the days at school. She's down to single digits with the kids, June 3rd is the last day they come. Then Kara is done with school on June 5th. Yippee!!!! We can't wait to get to spend more time together and to go up into the mountains.

That's all for today. Hope everyone out there is doing great.

Not much to report...

2009-05-05T19:04:00.000-06:00

Hello all.
There is not much to report on around here, but I felt like I should update the blog.

Kara only has 20 days of school left and then she will be free for the summer. Jen has a job interview on Tuesday at the university...so send positive thoughts, prayers, and energy her way.

We are still waiting for a potential birthmother to contact us. We are so excited to start our family, but the wait is getting long!!! Kara is sad that she won't have a little one to spend her summer with...but you never know... So keep spreading the word: Jen and Kara Want to Adopt! If you know of anyone who is making an adoption plan, please send them to our website at http://www.jenandkara.com/

By the way, we are re-doing our birthmother letter so if anyone has anything NICE to say about us and what great parents we'd be...please post. We might just pick your comment to put in our letter. :)

Leprechauns tried to steal my change!

2009-03-17T18:26:00.000-06:00

Awhile back Jen really wanted to get a Wii. We weren't sure we should be buying a Wii right now for several reasons, but then I had this brilliant idea. I told her that if there was a significant amount of change our big change bottle, that we could take it to the bank, put it in our account and buy a Wii. So one day we sat on the bed and counted change for hours. It ended up that we had almost $200! Not enough for a Wii...but enough to make us feel ok about buying a Wii. However, it was Sunday and the bank was closed. So we bought the Wii anyways with the intent of taking the change to the bank on Monday. Well, that was a couple weeks ago! (I'm a little bit of a procrastinator.) So today, since I'm on Spring Break, I decided to take the change to the bank.

I pulled into the parking lot, hopped out of my car, and grabbed the gallon sized baggie that held $200 of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. (This is when the lephrechauns tried to steal it!) The baggie burst open and $200 of change flew all over the parking lot!!!! It took awhile, but I scooped it all up, took it into the bank, and was glad to be rid of it. Next time we have to take $200 of change to the bank....I'm making Jen do it!!

Snowshoeing...not so much

2009-03-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Jen has wanted to go snowshoeing all weekend and it just never happened. So, today after work and school we came home changed, cleaned out the car, got the dogs ready, and headed up to Happy Jack (mini-mountains only 15ish minutes away). We get there and guess what, yep, that's right...NO SNOW! At least not enough for snowshoes. We got out anyway to let the dogs play, mainly because they were driving us crazy. Nakai goes absolutely nuts when in the car. She can't wait to get somewhere and get out to roam and run about.

Here are a few pictures from our outting. We hope you enjoy.

This is Jen's favorite nature picture of the day. The berries just demanded to be digitally captured!

Jen just thinks this one is kinda cool. Kara had to help by holding the branch down low enough for Jen to get the picture. Just one more time where being short was a disadvantage. You'd think we'd be used to this by now.

And last, but not least.......

Kara playing peek-a-boo with the camera.

Jen's Updates

2009-02-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided it is time to let all of you know that I will not be going to Africa this summer. This was an extremely hard decision to make, but it was a decision that had to be made. Financially, it is not possible for me to go. I applied for a grant through the University of Wyoming but was denied. With no financial assistance and my new monthly prescription expenses there is just no way that Kara and I can come up with the extra money for me to go to Africa, even though it was for a good cause. Maybe our finances will be better in two years when another Africa trip should be planned. Who knows.

I have also been to the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. This is supposed to be the leading headache clinic in the country, possibly even in the world. My trip resulted in a 6 day hospital stay so the doctors could change my medications and monitor me closely during the process. I now have minimal daily pain, which is huge progress! I'm still having my migraines, but the new medications actually cause the pain to go away. So, when I have a migraine I don't have to just tolerate the pain, I can actually get relief. Definitely a step in the right direction. I now feel like I will be able to be an even better mom when the day comes.

Bonus - while in Chicago I got to see my best friend Ella who I hadn't seen in just over four years. I hadn't seen her since a few days before I closed on the house. Craziness! It was great to get to see her and meet all of her new friends. Although I must say they are all high anxiety and a little neurotic! Thankfully, they all agree with me so there won't be any disagreements when they read this post.

Thats all for now. I hope all is well with all of our blog followers, family, and friends.
Jen

THE ONLY BOY KARA WILL LET CHEW ON HER TOES!

2009-02-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is our good friend Anthony. Apparently he has a thing for toes!

100 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!

2009-02-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

Today is the 100th day of school. That means there are only 80 days left! YAY!!! I think teachers like summer more than the kids. And I feel so sorry for all of you Iowa teachers that have to make up tons of snow days and go to school until mid to late June. That's awful! :( But I'm glad its not me! Hehe!

Update on Jen's Upcoming Africa Trip

2009-01-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

This week I finally learned more about my trip to Africa this summer. There are seven women going as part of the clinical outreach team and then a few additional women who are the organizers. We will attend an international multicultural mental health conference in Gabarone, Botswana and during the conference we will have the opportunity to go sight seeing. That makes me very excited. I was afraid I was going to Africa and I wasn't going to get to do any of the touristy stuff (big sigh of relief).

After the conference we will spend one week in Gabarone colaborating with mental health agencies and providing supervision. They have a very limited number of mental health professionals and have asked for clinical supervision so they can have fresh ideas on how to better help their clients. We will also spend time in the schools and a day hospice center for individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS. These are two places where I will most likely get to conduct one-on-one counseling with the residents of Africa. We will also spend time doing informal outreach and helping the residents get connected with local resources so they have lasting help that will continue after our group has left.

I will also get to spend a week in Johannesburg, South Africa doing similar work. Sounds like we will also get to go to some of the smaller villages to see how the individuals live and to see what additional help we may be able to offer them.

We will also travel to Malawi where we will visit the National Black Child Development Institute. This is an organization aimed to help the children of Africa receive an education and have other needs met as well.

There is also a chance we will go to Cape Town because this group had a wonderful experience there in 2007. From now until my departure on July 3rd at 5:20PM from Washington Dulles Airport I will take part in monthly teleconference calls, online training, online readings, online videos, and online discussions. All in an effort to ensure I am culturally compenten to be of assistance to the individuals of Southern Africa. Also, it is so the group of us who are going can begin to get to know one another so we can be of support to each other while we are in Africa.

Just today I found out that my passport application has been approved. I should be getting it in the mail any day now. One less thing to worry about. My passport just came in the mail!!! Kara's jealous, she doesn't have one.

Finally.....we got to go snowshoeing!

2009-01-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jen's cough is finally gone and that means we finally went snowshoeing, for the first time this winter. Seems like the dogs had even more fun than we did! Know what the best part was? The dogs slept all afternoon and evening, and so did Jen.

Kara posing for a quick shot. I think she just needed a break!

North Fork Little Laramie River. Just loved the icicles hanging from the snow,
yet above the river.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

2009-01-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of America today. This is a huge day in America. In the years to come, people will ask, "Where were you when the first African American man became president?"

I heard a story today that touched my heart. A preschool classroom here in Laramie had the inaguration on today while the kids were playing. A 4-year-old African American boy stopped playing, walked over to the TV, and said to his teachers with a huge smile on his face, "That's Barrack Obama, our new president. He's like me!" WOW!

I have such high hopes for this man. I am very excited to see what the next 4-8 years hold.

Hope,
Kara

2009-01-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Jen and Hayden (Hayden is 6 months in this photo)

pictures

2009-01-11T18:50:00.001-07:00

A New Year's Christmas!

2008-12-31T20:59:00.001-07:00

We are in Lincoln, Nebraska celebrating our 3rd Christmas of the year with the Hansen side of the family this time! More presents...yay! Our 4-year-old nephew Gabe was pretty upset that his Marley-like dog wagged her tail so hard that she ripped a hole in Gabe's present before it was time to unwrap gifts. After unwrapping gifts, Kara played pirates and ninja turtles (who are mortal enemies in case you didn't know) for approximately 5 hours straight!!! I've always told Jen that I didn't know how to play with boy toys...but now I'm an expert! :) Our 6-month-old niece didn't get into the presents as much as the wrapping paper and ribbons...AND she is all smiles all the time! So cute.

Jen took pictures with her new camera...so we'll have to post those later!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Here's hoping our baby finds us in 2009!)

Christmas is almost here.

2008-12-22T12:31:00.001-07:00

Well, Christmas is almost here. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 3 days away. Kara and I are both keeping busy. Kara's been working at A Touch of Country this holiday season and still really enjoys it. Although, she seems to think she should get a foot rub when she gets home. Somehow she always forgets that I think feet are gross!! I've been hanging out at home recooperating from bronchitis and enjoying my Christmas break from school. I've made a tree skirt (well, it's halfway done but it is under the tree) and I'm almost done making myself a scarf. Next I need to do the quilting on a baby quilt...hmm, do you think I can get it done for Christmas?

Kara and I are spending our first Christmas together in Laramie this year. We will miss our families, but at the same time we are very excited to stay home on Christmas day and not having to worry about the weather as we travel. Time for new traditions. On Christmas Eve we are going to spend the day making candies and cookies. Hopefully it all turns out okay.

We love and miss all of you.

Adoption Website Update!

2008-12-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Sorry we haven't posted in awhile. We were in Iowa for Thanksgiving, and December is just so crazy and busy...

Anyway...Over Thanksgiving break, we got lots of great pictures of some of our favorite little munchkins: Carter, Clay, Aiden, and Kallie. So...we decided to update our adoption website. Check it out at www.jenandkara.com (or use the link to the left).

Africa

2008-11-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

I (Jen) just found out this morning that I have been accepted to go to Africa for 3 weeks in July!!!! Iwill get the opportunity to be involved in 1 week of intensive multicultural training, 1 week of trauma counseling in Botswana, and 1 week of trauma counseling in South Africa.

Needless to say I am absolutely ecstatic right now! As I learn more I will keep everyone updated.

Jen

BABIES R US!

2008-11-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

So we got most of our Christmas shopping done today. Yay! When we went to Babies R Us, I thought maybe we should register for baby stuff and then realized....we already have everything!!! :)

Christmas Shopping for 'lil Ones

2008-11-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today we are off to go Christmas shopping for our nieces, nephews, and little friends.

We were just thinking that last year we only had two nephews to buy toys for and this year we have 7 nieces, nephews, and little friends to buy toys for! Yay!

Our Good Friend, Anthony

2008-11-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

Check out this cutie in the hat that Kara made for him! Apparently, he loves it. But I think his mama is the one who loves it.

Kara had a training in Cheyenne today and went shopping afterward (unsupervised by Jen). And I bought more baby clothes. I think the one thing that we don't need anymore of is baby clothes. Now we just need a baby to fill 'em! :) We just can't wait for that day.

KARA'S A GREAT TEACHER!

2008-10-30T12:49:00.000-06:00

This week in honor of Halloween we carved a pumpkin and made a scarecrow. The scarecrow keeps scaring everyone...including Kara.

I am especially proud of this activity. We used our 5 senses to explore a pumpin, the inside of a pumpkin, and a jack-o-lantern.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-29T20:51:00.001-06:00

Tonight Kara and I carved our pumpkins. It is a family tradition, regardless of the fact that we don't have any kids yet! Molly tried to carry off Kara's lid, but we stopped her...barely. Then we had to fight her off a few times because she wanted to eat the pumpkin innards and the seeds. Somehow Pseudo did manage to get some of the pumpkin and a seed. He ended up with pumpkin guts on his forehead. It can be a challenge to carve pumpkins with three dogs, just wait until there is a little one too! Everyone be safe Trick-or-Treating.

Kara used an apple corer to make "Boo"

and I made "Magoo"

(I'll have to get a better picture of this one!)

Poll

2008-10-26T14:14:00.001-06:00

No...it's not a political poll. We just want to know if anybody looks at our blog on a regular basis. If you are a frequent flier...please let us know. :)

Gabe and Hayden

2008-10-22T07:19:00.000-06:00

Gabe is 4 years-old already and Hayden is 4 months old. Being at Gabe's birthday was great...we hadn't seen him in 10 months!! That is way too long to go without seeing him. Anyway, here are some pictures of his birthday and his baby sister.

This is Gabe's "mean" face while he was playing with Grandma Kate.

Turtle Power!

Hayden in her Bumbo chair getting ready for the party.

SMILES!!!

2008-10-19T20:20:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to Lincoln for Gabe's birthday party. We also met his little sister Hayden for the first time. We had a blast! Check out the picture below to see just how happy everyone was to be together!

At the end of the day, Gabe's mommy asked him what the best part of his day was and he said it was blowing up balloons with Kara. (Of course, we didn't just blow them up...we let them go and they flew all over the house!) How sweet to be the best part of a little kid's day! :)

P.S. - We just got back from a drive in the mountains AND we saw a MOOSE! The pictures of the moose aren't very good, he was too far away and in the shade....but we got some other good pics. Check back because I'm sure Jen will be posting some pics. soon.

Traveling

2008-10-10T07:36:00.000-06:00

Things are busy here. Jen was in Breckenridge last weekend for a conference, this weekend we are going to Lincoln for Gabe's 4th birthday, and next weekend is Kara's birthday. Plus, Kara had parent teacher conferences this week and Jen is trying to finish two chapters of her dissertation by the 17th (Kara's B-Day)!!!

We hope everyone is doing well...and we will try to get better at keeping everyone updated. Hope everyone is enjoying Fall, it might snow in Laramie this weekend.

Thank-you!

2008-09-28T15:12:00.000-06:00

So... I (Kara) obsessively check our adoption website statistics. Usually we get 1 or 2 hits a day. That means only 1-2 people look at our website everyday. However, today we have had 11 people look at our website. I'm not sure what is going on. Usually nobody looks at our website on Sunday and today 11 hits by 3:00. That's unheard of! So I have figured out that most of the hits are coming from a mail.yahoo.com account. My guess is that somebody added our link to the signature of their yahoo account...but I don't know who might have done this. So I'm sending out a big thank-you to this person. We will take all the help we can get! We are so excited to be moms! :) My other thought is that God works in mysterious ways...do you think He has a yahoo account??? :)

Jen's Photos

2008-09-06T14:18:00.001-06:00

Well, Jen has finally gotten a few items posted to her etsy shop as well. Right now it is her photography, but she has a few knitted items she plans to add as well. Her shop is at:
www.naturepics.etsy.com

The weather is changing in Wyoming. Summer is gone and Fall is upon us. It's only in the 50's today, but Jen still refuses to turn the furnace on....Hopefully we can wait until at least the 15th before we have to turn it on. The more money we can save now the more we will have for the adoption.

Baby, baby...

2008-08-31T20:22:00.000-06:00

Tonight, we went out to eat with our good friend Krista who has the sweetest baby boy! He is 11 weeks old and is growing like a weed! After we ate, he was getting sleepy so I (Kara) took him and he fell asleep on my chest. He slept there for quite awhile and just snuggled right into me. Well, my heart just melted...

As I sit here typing, I can still smell that baby smell on my shirt. It makes my heart skip a beat every now and then. I am so ready to be a mama!

P.S. - Jen wants everyone to know that every external hard drive she touches, doesn't work! Hmm... Any suggestions?

Pictures from vacation

2008-08-18T21:07:00.000-06:00

Here are some of Jen's favorite pictures from the 531 pictures she took on our 5 day vacation. Hope you enjoy them!!

Blooming Thistle

Blooming Water Lily

The blog is being silly so check back for more photos!

We are Busy

2008-08-14T12:30:00.000-06:00

Well, we are back from our vacation to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Red Lodge. Jen had to jump right into things by getting a draft of her first two chapters of her dissertation to her committee members on Tuesday the 12th, when we got back late on the 11th. Kara had a busy day Tuesday and then started 3 days of training on Wednesday.

Our summer is over and we aren't even really sure where it went. Hopefully, in the next few days we will get pictures from vacation posted for all to see. We really had a good time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JEN!!!

2008-08-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

For Jen's birthday, she took the day off and we went to Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. (BTW, we bought a yearly pass to all the National Parks in the U.S. So if anyone wants to come visit us, we'll gladly take you to RMNP!) Anyways, while we were there we saw a herd of 12 Elk up close. Check out the pics and see how close one came to Kara.

What the heck is this critter? There was a whole bunch of these running around at 12,ooo feet. Kara named them Rocky Mountain Hamsters....but we'd like to know what they really are.

Kara has her own store!

2008-07-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

I am selling handmade stuff on Etsy now. I just set up my store the other day and only have a few things posted. I plan on making and posting more things today! Check it out at http://www.karabeaner.etsy.com/ Here's a sneak peak of what you'll find:

My mother was appalled to hear that I made a baby blanket with skulls and flames! Heehee.

Grandmas

2008-07-17T11:24:00.000-06:00

Grandmas are cute and funny. Today Grandma Kate (Jen's mom) went shopping and bought a stroller for Paddington (that's what Grandma calls the child we will someday adopt). She found it on clearance for $118 instead of $190! She was so excited...it was pretty darn cute. She said she couldn't pass up this deal and will worry about how she will get it to us later. Apparently it is hot in Iowa because she said she was dying of heat and had to go to Applebee's ASAP!!

If Grandma Kate reads this just wanted to let you know I love you!!

Below is a picture of the stroller we think she bought. And below that is a close-up of the design on the stoller.

Springtime in the Snowy Pass

2008-06-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

Today we spent the morning in the Snowy Mountains, out past Centennial. We love having the mountains only 30 minutes away! It may officially be summer, but in Wyoming it still feels like spring. It was great to see the wildflowers in bloom, but they won't be in full bloom for a few more weeks. We saw two mule deers, some antelope, and some hairy cows. The hairy cows are Jen's favorite! This video is of a creek up in the mountains, we don't think we have ever seen it this high.

The newest Hansen

2008-06-20T09:32:00.000-06:00

Weighing in at 6lbs 12 oz and 19 1/4 inches is the newest member of the Hansen family. Hayden Weber Hansen was born today, June 20th at 3:30AM. We can't wait until we get to get meet her in person.

Here are the first pictures we received. Mom and baby are doing great!

Our pseudo nephew Carter

2008-06-13T23:04:00.000-06:00

While we have been vacationing in Iowa and visiting family, we got to spend a lot of time with our two and a half year old pseudo nephew Carter. His mommy is like a sister to Kara, so that pretty much makes him our nephew.

Here I told him to smile and Aunt Jen smiled just like him. Unfortunately this is a morning shot and Aunt Jen is probably going to kick Aunt Kara's you know what for posting it here! Haha!

Carter loves dogs...especially Molly (or as he pronounces it "Mowndy"). Here he is going in for the kiss.

Task accomplished! Too cute!!

He he also pronounces Psuedo as "Noodle." I don't understand...but it's incredibly cute...so who cares!

Miss Molly Moose

2008-06-09T08:19:00.001-06:00

Well, Kara and I are home on vacation. Kara is visiting with her mom right now and got to spend the weekend at the lake. I'm at home with my parents. Saturday night (actually sometime in the wee hours on Sunday) Molly got into some of Cisco's medicine (Cisco is grandma/grandpa Hansen's yellow lab). She was extremely lethargic, wouldn't eat a treat, and had lots of drool! Thankfully Doc Stafford is a good guy and he took great care of Molly. She had to stay at the vets on Sunday to get her stomach pumped and get IV fluids. She still scared me last night because of her shallow and rapid breathing, but she is doing great today. She's eating and alert. I guess I can stop worrying now.

Peanut Butter Anyone?

2008-05-18T19:03:00.000-06:00

Last night a naughty little puppy got a peanut butter jar off the counter and cleaned it out. Well, tonight Pseudo decided there was more inside the jar. Check it out!

I can't breathe!

Get this thing off of me!!!

Defeated...

Snow, Snow, and more Snow

2008-05-13T22:30:00.000-06:00

Well, today is May 13th and this morning there was another two inches of snow on the grassy areas. Most of our friends and family who live elsewhere in the U.S. have had to mow their lawn, some of them multiple times!! Not us out here in Wyoming. We are starting to get grass and the tree in the front yard finally has buds on it. It snowed this weekend too. It always seems to snow on graduation/mother's day weekend.

Kara's dad and stepmom are out to visit right now. We will get pictures posted later this week.

Jen

Toddlers

2008-04-30T19:26:00.000-06:00

We have a home daycare in our neighborhood and this morning, on my way to work, a little kiddo got away from his mom and started to walk out in the road. So of course I slammed on my brakes, but I must have been nervous because I tightened the grip on my steering wheel. When I did that, I accidentally honked my horn. Well, you should have seen the look on that poor mother's face. She thought I was ticked off that her kid was in the road and all I was trying to do was make sure I didn't hit her kid. But the best part about this story is that when the mom finally took her kid's hand and drug him across the road, he waved at me the whole way. Kids are awsome! I can't wait to have one of my own...and I will try not to be mad at people who honk at me, because it might just be an accident.

Baby Clay

2008-04-27T17:53:00.000-06:00

Over Spring Break, I went to Utah to visit my nephew Clay! He is so cute!!! Don't you agree?

April brings more snow showers

2008-04-26T14:00:00.001-06:00

Well, it snowed again. This morning there was snow and this afternoon I saw a Monarch Butterfly. I don't think there is another place on Earth that has weather as wacky as we have here in Wyoming.

This morning we got up and went to a Baby Gear Swap. Kara found a bumbo chair with a tray for only $15 instead of $50!! She is getting good at bargain shopping for baby stuff.

This morning I also completed my first knitting project that incorporated two colors of yarn and a pattern. It is for Kara, I like it so much though that I went and bought more yarn so I can make one for myself.

Here is model Kara wearing her new hat! It only took me two weeks to make this (that's super fast for me).

Jen

April brings Snow Showers

2008-04-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

It is April 10th and there is a lot of snow out there and all the roads into and out of Laramie are closed! There is no reason to shovel the walk because by the time our neighbors are done it is time for them to start over again. I'll take some pictures later today...

It's April for crying out loud!!! Actually, it's peaceful for me, but it is driving Kara crazy!!

Today we went painting

2008-04-06T20:35:00.000-06:00

Today we went to our friend Krista's house and helped her paint the nursery for Anthony Craig Manton who is due in early July. She traced the logos for the Colorado Avalanche on the wall and then we painted them with the official team color paint bought at Home Depot. It took us 4 hours and there are still touch-ups that need to be completed!

It was fun, and now we have practice for painting the nursery here at home. We still need the paint, but we have an idea in mind. Stay tuned to see what happens.