Christmas Words

Oh Christmas time. It is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love the snow, the cozy warmth of home, cuddly blankets, fuzzy socks, baby snuggles, gingerbread houses, cookies, presents.... just EVERYTHING!

This Christmas was different for us. We did our own Christmas. For the first time since we've been married we just did our own thing and it was so so so wonderful!!! Our children woke up before the sun did to see what Santa had brought for them. They saw that he had eaten all of the cookies that they had decorated for him just the night before. They learned all about why Santa gives us gifts. About Jesus' birth and how He was the ultimate gift. Kourtney tried to get away with leaving her door open and light on so that she could hear Santa when he came in. And they were beyond thrilled with their presents and stockings! They stuffed their faces with candy all day long. We had a ham dinner on our fine china and even had some neighbors over to spend time with. We enjoyed some Nigerian Christmas food, compliments of our Nigerian neighbor.

While he was here I asked him what Christmas was like where he's from. And as he was telling me, something seemed to have hit me square in the face. They don't have Halloween over there, nor do they have Thanksgiving, but everyone has Christmas. Because Christmas is Christ. And Christ is for the whole world. I look at my sweet Joseph and know that he will do wonderful things. But young Mary looked at her baby boy and knew that he would CHANGE THE WORLD!!! How blessed we are that there was a mother strong enough and worthy enough to take on this task.

As I was shutting Kourtney's bedroom door after tucking her into bed tonight I turned around and said, "Kourtney, what is Christmas?" To which she responded, "Jesus' birthday". Earlier I had asked her, "Why does Santa bring us gifts?" To which she promptly answered, "Because Jesus was the biggest gift". I love her faith and knowledge. I love that even though Santa and presents have seemingly overthrown what Christmas really is we can know that if we just take a little time to teach our young ones what the spirit of Christmas is all about, they will learn, and they will cherish it.

Tonight my sweet Kloey reminded me once again what Christmas is all about. It is about family. My darling girl is more than 3 years old and has never really spoken. I have longed and longed for her to say "mommy". Something inside of me has NEEDED to hear it for such a long time. Kourtney said it when she was less than a year old. I know things are slower going with Klo. But it's been so long. We were watching a Christmas movie with her and this thought popped into my head, "ask her. Ask her to say 'mommy'". So, I did. She looked me right in the eye, smiled, and said "mommy". I gasped, looked at Jordan to confirm that it had not been my imagination, and when I saw his face I knew that I was right. My baby girl called me "mommy". My heart swelled with love, adoration, relief, and so many more emotions. There were so many that they spilled out of me in the form of tears! And I'm not gonna lie, Jordan teared up too.

This is Christmas. Christmas is family. Christmas is love and giving. Christmas is Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The Year of the Hansen's

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
WHEN ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE,
NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING.....
EXCEPT FOR MY SPOUSE.

THIS WAY IT HAD BEEN THE ENTIRE YEAR THROUGH
EVER SINCE JANUARY HAD STARTED ANEW.
THE CHILDREN WERE NESTLED ALL DOWN WITH SWINE FLU,
WHILE MOM WAS TRYING DESPERATELY TO NOT SPEW.

MAMA PEED ON A STICK TO CONFIRM OUR SUSPICION,
OF HER VERY OBVIOUS NINE MONTH CONDITION.
WHEN MOMMY AND DADDY HAD A CRAZY IDEA.
THAT DADDY WOULD SPRING INTO A NEW FILM CAREER!

AWAY TO THE INTERNET HE FLEW WITH A FLASH,
TO RESEARCH HOW FILM WOULD MAKE THE MOST CASH.

SO DADDY WAS PREPPING, AND READY TO GO,
WHEN MOMMY HAD PROBLEMS BEGINNING TO SHOW.
THIS BABY THAT WAS QUIETLY GROWING INSIDE HER,
WAS HAVING SOME PROBLEMS THAT WOULD PUT HIM IN DANGER.

WITH A GREAT TEAM OF DOCTORS SO SMART AND SO QUICK,
THE BABY WAS SAVED AND HE STARTED TO KICK.

MORE RAPID THAN EAGLES,
THE TRIALS THEY CAME.
SO QUICKLY WE'LL STATE THEM
ACCORDING TO NAME:

NOW JORDAN WAS BUSY
AND CONSTANTLY WORKING,

'CUZ STEPH WAS ON BEDREST
AND SURE WASN'T PERKY.

AND KOURTNEY WAS LEARNING
AND QUITE ON THE BALL!

BUT KLOEY WAS SICK
WITHIN HOSPITAL WALLS.

AS MOMMY WAS GROWING AND GETTING QUITE HUGE,

THE GIRLS, THEY KEPT LEARNING! AND JORDAN DID TOO!

KOURTNEY WAS DANCING AND LEARNING TO SING,
WHILE KLO WAS TAKING STEPS AND TRYING NEW THINGS.

AND THEN IN A TWINKLING OF JUST 3 SHORT HOURS,
CAME SWEET LITTLE JOSEPH AND THEN LOTS OF FLOWERS.

THE GIRLS FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS NEW BABY BROTHER,
AND 100 TIMES THE HEART GREW IN THEIR MOTHER.

BUT GOD HAD SOME MORE FOR THIS QUAINT LITTLE FAMILY.
SO THEY HELD ON REAL TIGHT AD ENDURED MERRILY.

THE BABY WAS SICK AND TEARS FLOWED FROM HIS EYES,
WHILE LITTLE KLO'S NECK STARTED GROWING IN SIZE.

A COUPLE OF SURGERIES WERE HAD ON THE NECK,
AND 3 WEEKS OF INFUSIONS...
THEN KLOEY HAD STREP!

BUT KOURTNEY'S EYES HOW THEY TWINKLED! KLO'S SMILE HOW MERRY!
JOSEPH'S CHEEKS WERE LIKE ROSES, HIS NOSE LIKE A CHERRY!

HE HAS A CHUBBY FACE AND A ROUND LITTLE BELLY.
KOURTNEY LOVES GIVING HIM KISSES,
BUT NOT WHEN HE'S SMELLY.

WITH ONE MORE SURGERY LEFT FOR THIS YEAR,
KLOEY WILL BE HEALTHY
AND SO WILL HER EARS.

KOURTNEY NOW READS AND WRITES HER OWN STORIES,
AND TELLS MOM AND DAD OF ALL SORTS OF HER WORRIES.

MOMMY AND DADDY ARE BLESSED BEYOND REASON,
WE'RE FILLED WITH THANKSGIVING AND JOY IN THIS SEASON.

WITH SMILES AND LAUGHS WE'LL GREET EACH NEW DAY.
DESPITE THE PEE, SNOT, AND SALIVA
THAT WILL COME OUR WAY.

SO IF YOU SEE US LOOKING ALL HAGARD AND HAZY,
DO NOT ASSUME WE ARE JUST BEING LAZY.

FOR WITH TRIALS COME BLESSINGS,
AND WITH BLESSINGS COME TRIALS.
AND OUR'S SEEM TO HAVE BEEN STRETCHED FOR MILES AND MILES.

THERE'S NO NEED TO DENY THAT THIS YEAR,
IT'S BEEN ROUGH!

AND QUITE CERTAINLY
2015 CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Lots of sick

It is almost 6:00 in the morning and I have not slept at all. Why? Because I've been in the hospital with my daughter all night long. I should really just have a permanent room there it seems. We had just been there 24 hours before. But this seems to be common for my Kloey and that breaks my heart.

Of course no child should be sick all of the time, it's just not fair. It's exhausting for them and it's exhausting for the parents. Just imagine, if you will, a drop of sunshine fallen from the sky to brighten your life and those around you. Now take that sunshine and try to squeeze the light and the life out of it. It'll take a while but eventually the light will begin to fade and the sunshine may start to give up.

Kloey is my sunshine. And this sick business is starting to squeeze the light right out of her. She is still happy, she is still loving, but she is exhausted. I see defeat in her eyes. I feel exhaustion in her hugs. I help her as much as I know how but what can I do really?

Wednesday will hopefully be the beginning of the return of the sunny light. A tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy plus ear tubes is certainly no fun but the end result will no doubt pay off. Pray for my sweet girl. Pray for our family. There's a very good chance that she may refuse to eat or drink or take any medicine. Kloey doesn't understand that these things are necessary. We can't explain that like we would to any other 3 year old. I know what's coming and it will be rough, make no mistake. But we will power through because one thing is for sure....

my Kloey is a Fighter.

Much love everyone.
(sorry for the dramatics, just being honest) :)