The Hannig Home

I've taken a Christmas blogging break.  This Christmas season was the busiest of my life, even without working full time.  I added a bunch of other activities to make the season crazy - like building a life-size stable and manger for our church, doing my first ever cookie exchange (needed to bake 8 dozen cookies), making our 2011 Christmas card (never again!), hosting 4 parties, being on our church's Christmas Eve service planning committee, being a wiseman in our church Christmas play (Paul was a wiseman too, and Benny was a camel and Luke a donkey), etc., etc., etc.  I loved every minute of it though, since Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  I will get back to steady blogging in January when life slows down.  I have a lot of catching up to do since Ben and Luke are growing and changing like crazy every day.   Here are some pictures to bridge the gap since my last blog post.  Our Christmas tree.  I've always wanted a really tall tree!   I love this tree!  Just w

We were asked at MOPS to share a Christmas tradition that we remember as a child.  I shared this favorite.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for giving us such awesome memories.  I hope to have special traditions for Luke and Ben that they will remember for years and years. “When my siblings and I were little we had this huge old-school record player.  At christmas time, my dad would hook the record player up to some big speakers that he hid behind a pine tree outside of our front door.  We had a ton of christmas records and we'd play the records and the music would project outside for all the town to hear!  On the weekends and evenings us kids would rotate being 'on duty' to keep watch over the records and ensure the music never stopped.  We'd play the records over and over again.  We had some great oldies like Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, etc.  It was so exciting to see people walk by our house and be suprised by the christmas music.  It always

Paul start ed telling Luke bedtime stories a few months ago....stories about people we know. Most of the time they are about a grandma or grandpa, but once in a while Luke reqests a story about Chris Ingle, the handy man who put in our doors and did some other work around the house.  So now most nights Luke will say something like this, "Tell story him, daddy" (i.e. tell me a story about him...).  Tell story Grandpa ernie, dad."  Paul always starts out his grandpa ernie stories the same way..."Grandpa ernie was born in Richmond, MN, on October 15, 1944..."  And from there the stories take all sorts of turns.  The other night the story went..."that day in 1944, the day grandpa ernie was born, was unusually cold for an October day.  It was so cold that people couldn't believe it.  And from that day on, anytime there was unusual weather, people would say, "We're having an Ernie."  Luke loved that one. A different story night I zoned

Ben got a spanking today.  From Luke.  Luke put his vikings helmet on Ben for a while this afternoon.  Paul took it off of Ben when he'd had enough.  Luke grabbed it and said, "I put it away, I put it away." And he proceeded to put it away.  Then he walked straight up to the kitchen and came back a second later with the wooden spoon.  I said "What's that for ? Ar e you going to give someone a spanking ?"  "Yes.  Benny.", Luke said.  "He no put the helmet away."  And he gave Ben a light tap with the spoon.  It was Ben's first spanking, and it was administered by his brother.   

Ben already needs a sweat band.  He works out in his bouncy 3 to 4 times a day (vigorously, as those who have seen him know).  His leg muscles are getting big and strong (although he will need to tone up a bit before you will be able to see those muscles!)

Paul and Luke were reading a book called "What Do People Do All Day."  Paul asked Luke "what does daddy do" and Luke said "work at Rambow."  Paul asked Luke "what does mommy do" and Luke said "Takes care of me."  Ahh, he knows.  I wasn't sure what he was going to say.  I love it! 

Well, it has been a year.  Wow, does time fly.  Last Thanksgiving is when Luke discovered the helmet (pictured above, Thanksgiving 2010).  This phase has endured the 4 seasons, a new baby brother, and a move from Minneapolis to Spicer.  It has been worn on many 90 degree days (soaking Luke's hair and turning his cheeks bright red) and on days when a tossle cap would have been much more appropriate. And the helmet is still going strong.  In fact, as I type on Thanksgiving morning, Luke is wearing his helmet...still.  Other than not being able to reach Luke's face for a smooch, I've adored the helmet phase (as have many, many bystanders and strangers and friends who have gotten a laugh or smile from it).  I wonder if we will be celebrating a second anniversary next Thanksgiving.  :)  Happy Anniversary, Helmet!!!  

Since blogging has replaced my handwritten journals for the boys, I need to make sure I remember that Luke and Ben are my main audience and that I get down all the stories that I would have written to them in a journal.  I want Ben to know his story from the beginning and see how God blessed us with a healthy baby boy when we didn't think we would ever get the chance meet him.  I sent the following email to a friend early in my pregnancy, so rather than rewrite the story, I will share my email (for the guys reading this, I am not editing so don't read if you do not want the details.) I’m pregnant and due on April 24th. It’s been a complete up and down roller coaster thus far. To give you the short story (which isn't short at all): I didn’t even know I was pregnant because I got my period Mon thru Wed, but it was strangely short and light. then on Friday we went to the Hannigs in Kerkhoven and the entire ride from the Cities I felt a ton of pressure in my tummy and was rea

Luke wok e up crying last night and wh en i got in his room h e cr i ed, "I got boog ers, Mom!  G et ' em!"  H e was so frustrat ed . H e do esn't quit e know how to blow his nos e with a tissu e y et.  Poor guy. H e also f ell th e oth er night (I will blam e it on his spik es that ar e 4 siz es too big).  H e tripp ed up th e st eps from th e living room to th e kitch en.  H e land ed on his nos e and gav e hims e lf a bloody nos e.  H e cri ed that h e didn't want m e to wip e it with a washcloth, but that h e w ant ed a bandaid.  I couldn't shov e th e bandaid up his nostril, but w e accomodat ed his r equ est and gav e him a bandaid.  H e wor e it all night.  This is what h e look ed lik e.... And...h e is my littl e h elp er at Cub Foods....  Th er e was a sal e on P epsi products if you ar e wond ering ... H er e h e is making sur e w e got all of our possibl e savings and clipp ed all th e coupons n ec essary.        Luk e also brings his &qu

I hav e b e en chall eng ed with quit e a bit of "h eavy" n ews lat ely.  My dad's canc er r eturn ed, his good fri end Rich's canc e r has spr ead, a man from our church w ent to th e Mayo this w e ek bc his canc er has r eturn ed, and my d ear fri end, Alicia, from Targ et just found out h e r br east canc er matastasiz ed to h er lung and sh e has littl e tim e to liv e.  I h eard that n ews and just couldn't tak e any mor e.  Sh e has two young boys, and is just 36  y e ars old.  I cri ed and cri ed and cri ed. I finally calm ed down by op ening th e  Bibl e and r eading God's promis es.  But  th e r eality of d eath scar es m e, ev en though it shouldn't b ecaus e I hav e th e assuranc e of h eav en .  But I hav e always f ear ed I would di e young, and th e n ews of Alicia has m e thinking of th e horror of having to l eav e my babi es b efor e th ey ar e grown.  So I hav e b e en battling this h eavin ess for a f ew days... Y est erday, during