Sam's birthday

It's crazy to think that a year ago we brought home this little thing -

And now we have this big thing -

Yup, March 4th was Samuel's first birthday. It's kind of funny having a birthday for someone who doesn't really understand what a birthday is, but we had fun all the same. Sam and I were home alone the night before since Eric had Omniture Summit up in Salt Lake that day, so it wasn't too special during the day. I made him french fries for lunch because he loves them, and I would read to him whenever he wanted, and I sang Happy Birthday to him in place of his usual lullabies. Not exactly major concessions, but I wanted him to have a good day. We decided to only have a very small celebration for Sam since he's still a little wary of most people. So we had Grannie & Grandpa Hansen and Taylor and Ryan Lockwood (my sister and brother-in-law) come over for dinner. We made Chicken Fettucinne Alfredo for dinner because Sam thinks it's really funny to play with noodles. Also, have I mentioned that it's an AWESOME recipe? Oh yeah, like every other post since we discovered it. Well, we still love it and I don't feel bad about posting about it because it's not my culinary expertise (read: I don't have any culinary expertise) that makes it great, it's just a delicious recipe.

Taylor came over a little bit early to help me get the meal ready which was especially helpful since she was able to go pick up some ingredients for me as Eric still had the car in Salt Lake. Eric tried to get out of Salt Lake as soon as he could but ended up having to stay until the end of the closing ceremonies for Summit. Unfortunately that meant that he had to drive home while it was snowing AND rush hour. Not a fun way to have to make that commute. But he still made it home in pretty good time, all things considered. AND he beat his parents here, so he could still be a good host (it probably helped that they were also coming from Salt Lake and had to deal with the same conditions :P ).

Dinner turned out well and we enjoyed the people that we had here. After dinner was cleaned up Sam opened up his presents. Grannie and Grandpa had brought Sam Green Eggs and Ham (because it has Sam-I-am in it!) and a touch and feel farm book. Sam LOVES to read books, he spends most of the day trying to hand me books and get me to read them. He even likes to turn the pages on his own which I think is super cute. So the books were perfect. He loves to touch all the different textures in the Farm book too which makes it an even better sensory experience for him.

Eric and I got Sam a little toy bus to push around. Just before Christmas I'd decided that Sam was too young to play cars and decided against getting him any for Christmas. The day after I finished my Christmas shopping we were at a bridal shower and Sam started playing cars with another little boy there. Guess I was proved wrong! So, I'd been planning for awhile to get him a car for his birthday. What I didn't realize was that in addition to having little people inside this bus the people bounce as you push the bus, and you can push the driver to have it sing songs and light up! Score! The bus has been a big hit with him too.

Then of course came the most fun part of a first birthday party - the cake. Eric informed me before we got married that there is a tradition in the Hansen family of giving kids their own cake on their first birthday and letting them go to town with it. This seemed like an awesome tradition so we definitely wanted to keep with it for our family. Here are the results -

He started off eating with a spoon...

Then decided to ditch the spoon and eat with his hands. You can tell he's pleased by this decision because he's clapping.

Then his Aunt Taylor shoved his face into the cake (hence the large amount on his forehead. Surprisingly he thought this was the best part yet and kept insisting that she do it again

He really got into the whole cake eating thing at this point. Just dug right in face first

Our very happy birthday boy!

Thanks to everyone who helped make Sam's first birthday a wonderful day! We love you Sam! Thanks for being a part of our family :)

Birthdays, Babies, and Bated Breath

written by Eric

I figured it's been awhile since I've really contributed a post, so in light of my recent birthday, I figured I take a crack at it, though I am not as entertaining a story-teller as Brittny seems to be.

First off, thanks to everyone who helped make my birthday party a blast. Brittny gave me some great clothes to help "professionalize" my wardrobe, especially since I hate clothes shopping, I'm glad I could have some help on that front. While I am able to wear more comfortable styles of clothing in my current job, I do hope to move up the corporate ladder eventually. So now I can dress for the job I want to have, right?

It's crazy to think I have lived for a quarter of a century now. I've lived through the fall of the Berlin wall, introduction of the Internet, miniaturization of technology, and the continual degradation of what used to be common moral values (Enron, wide acceptance of unchaste behavior, and so on). Ten years ago, I had incredibly high aspirations for what I wanted do and where I wanted to be in my life at this point. The high expectations are still there, albeit tempered by understanding of the actual work it will take to achieve my goals. Also, changes come into my life that help me see a better path than my original desires. China, for example, I have come to believe will be a big part of my future.

Speaking of which, we are still trying to be patient in waiting to find out about upcoming opportunities to work abroad. It is a little frustrating at times to see how slow things are moving, but we are keeping our hopes up because we know we are supposed to be there, whether it be later rather than sooner.

Sam has been growing so well recently. He is fun and full of life, learning something new each and every day. Most recently, the little tike has started climbing up and down everything he can. The coffee table in our front room has become the obstacle of choice this past week. He climbs up on top, stands and then patters around in a circle for a few laps. Then, he lays down on his side and deftly and safely slides off the edge. It's quite impressive considering I didn't even learn to walk until my first birthday.

Other than that, our family has enjoyed watching some really neat Olympic events. Despite quite a few difficulties experienced by the hosts, most of the competitions were really amazing and fun to watch. Congratulations to USA to setting the record on the medals count this year.

Well, I think I have covered recent events. I know Brittny is planning on writing about our trip to California mid-February, so I will encourage to finish that quickly. Until next time...love life, laugh loud, and lead onward.

I'm 24 years young...

Well, my birthday has come and gone, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone that wished me well and helped make my day a good one. This post is going to have to be a short one with all the craziness that has been going on in our household, so sorry if you were looking for something more substantial.

Of course, most of the celebration this year was spread out with no major plans, especially considering the fact that we were anxiously awaiting the birth of a baby boy. Well, it seems that this little boy has a mind of his own. You'd think his parents are pretty strong-willed or something ;)

But since he hasn't decided to come early, and he hasn't decided to come on time, the real question to ask is when do you think Samuel will be born?

Brittny really treated me special today--that's not to say that she isn't wonderful on any other day--and once again I can't be thankful enough for the wonderful blessings of family. She took me out to Tucanos and Zupas, two excellent restaurants, and I also enjoyed strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert! YUM!