childhood sayings revisited

Growing up my family had a theme song (doesn't every family): "You can't always get What you Want" by The Rolling Stones. As a child my siblings and I were never to amused when we would ask for something and mom & dad would break in to their best rock and roll performance (real embarrassing when you are in public) then as we would sigh and dramatically proclaim, 'it's not fair', their response was "LIFE IS NOT FAIR"......

The funny thing is, although I know its true I still, as an adult, don't like the saying! On this beautiful sunny morning I am so thankful, God has blessed me beyond measure and I am so incredibly grateful.

However, I want to stomp around screaming 'its not fair'; its not for me, its for those who are hurting deeper than I ever have. Two wonderful, faithful, God fearing families that are hurting...2 precious babies and their families...I know that God is holding them tight, surrounding them with his steadfast love. Their strength that is so mesmerizing is from he who created us, their endurance is from our great God, and their faith is from these.

So although I don't think its fair, I can accept that God has a plan, his hand is in this, he sees the big picture and I will trust in his vision.

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of the deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. Psalm 18:32-35

So as we go about our day, remember the big guy's got your back!

He will bless us with what we need, he knows.

see whats beautiful today,

:ash:

{the way God works...}

You know the old saying God works in mysterious ways...but thinking about that I don't think its mysterious, its exactly what we need!

This past weekend was crazy busy...which is a blessing( as I am pushing forward with my passion to work with my photography full time, which allows for me to be home with the girls) because it shows me that my hard work is paying off, Ashley Photography is growing! In fact in just the last week and a half I have booked 3 weddings :)

So with that being said I had an unfortunate circumstance occur this past weekend as I was working an event...another photographer acted very poorly towards me, though this person does not know me she chose to speak negatively about me and my talents...and it just keeps digging in to me, to be honest I am having a hard time letting it go! I actually would love to shout from the roof tops this persons name, but I know that won't get me anywhere...so this morning as I sat down to do a devotional I opened my bible and starring up at me in blaring yellow highlighter was this verse:

"Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character,

come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning..."

1 corinthians 15: 33-34

Yup, I think God was talking to me...although I had only discussed this matter with my best friends and family, I am still sinning and I allowed her actions to affect mine, I should have forgave the other for her actions immediately and moved on...but that is hard, not of human nature...I should have prayed as the situation unfolded instead of waiting till my heart was hardened...lessons learned. So this morning as I reflect on my actions I pray that God strengthens me to be better the next time!

Gotta run, we are going to be late for gymnastics!

since the blog is better with pics here are my babies:

sky

ari

buster

bruiser

blessings,

ash

{FPU & some prayer requests}

I am so excited that Chris and I have made the decision to start the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Classes...they consist of 13 weeks of study and group discussion. I went to the TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER last week and it was awesome to see Dave live, totally a motivator! So last night we started...

Somethings that we are excited about: to be on the same page financially, (we have never been far apart but I tend to be on page 10 with Chris on page 5, ya he hates reading :) ), to establish a solid budget that we both agree to and stick to it, to be DEBT free, to not let money or lack there of control our lives....

I will keep you all updated as to how its going, sometimes it may not be pretty...but in the end I know we will conquer. We are excited to have already accomplished step 1 of the seven steps, step 2 will take us a little longer - pay off all debt but the house, but we are hoping that with in 7-8 months that will be accomplished.

Our assignment for this week : BUDGET! Sounds fun huh? honestly I think this will be the hardest, we are going to be following the envelope system... and the when its gone its gone mentality must prevail.

After the last year this is so refreshing, to be on the rebound, headed in the right direction...no going back!

*my last thought for the day: I covet your prayers for a friend, her daughter and the rest of her family...they have had a very difficult year and were given some heartbreaking news on Monday. Their sweet baby girl may only have days left here with them. Please pray that she is comfortable and pain free, please pray for her siblings that there maybe understanding, please pray for her mommy and daddy as they cherish these days, allow them continued strength...

The other day I heard Carrie Underwoods "Temporary Home"...it is a beautiful song, and I absolutely love the lyrics, here is the chorus:

"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through
This was just a stop,on the way To where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this was
My temporary home."

It is comforting that as christians we KNOW this is true, not only this world is temporary, but remember so are situations...

blessing,

ash

{some winter fun}

so I know have been horrible about posting but also about taking pictures....well of my own family so not only am I going to get better at blogging again, I am also going to take the time to photograph whats happening... these are from a couple of weekends ago at Caberfae. We are still working on Sky's skiing skills....she is a complete chicken sh** this year (totally takes after me) ! It seems as though there is the slightest bit of danger and she wants to bail...this is a good thing though, as Ari is showing us she is scared of nothing (just like her Daddy)! So the girls personalities will compliment each other as do mine and Chris' funny how that happens!

Ari aside from being our daredevil is on the move (for about the last 3 weeks) and is in to everything...so amazing how they go from not being able to walk to practically running in such a short amount of time...and she wants to do everything that Sky does. It is so precious to me to watch them play, although it often turns a little to rough and someone starts screaming :)

Ari is really trying to put her words together..she gabs a lot but we only understand a few things so far, I know in a short amount of time we will have another talker on our hands, watch out Chris!!

Skylar started her second go round at gymnastics yesterday with complete success, she LOVED it and participated in every activity (even the ones she was scared of last time). She is my big girl, my little lady, my mini me...(even if she looks like chris) she really has my personality, very outgoing, but reserved and cautious when necessary! She is so looking forward to spring time so she can get outside more. The other day she totally cracked me up, this was our convo:

me : uncle cam is coming by to see you today

sky: he is! i think we are going to the zoo (he told her almost 2 months ago that he wanted to take her and now every time she is sees him that is what she wants to do)

me: honey i don't think you are going today, you have to wait till its warmer out

sky: ugh! its just so frickin cold!

me: what

sky: its frickin cold

me: can we just say its cold?

sky: but IT IS fricking cold mom!

not to argue with her we do have some cold days, but now we are watching our language a little closer :)

{3 & 1}

so as promised i am posting (and you get pictures)! today we had 'model session' as sky called it. she has not been a huge fan of having her picture taken but she's turning a corner, every time i get ready to leave for a session she begs to come and have her picture taken too....so today i thought i would try to convince her it was a GREAT day to take her pictures...we had decent success. decent because for the life of me could not get an acceptable picture of the two of them together, you get one happy and convinced and the other one falls off the wagon :) so goes life...but i have a beautiful picture of each of them and that is most important! there will be a day for a great picture of the two of them!

today is a beautiful day here in MI! The sun is shinning and its not too cold...so we are headed out to run some errands...enjoy your day!

thankful...

today i am writing with a heavy heart...i learned earlier today of serious diagnosis for a friends child! my heart breaks for them as they seek God's guidance, strength and faith. it is truly unimaginable, in an instant your world is turned upside down! as a mother you always want to keep your babies safe and allow all their dreams to come true...but what if you can't...

i am so thankful for the gift of my baby girls; however, there are times that I feel like screaming or crying or being whisked away to some far off exotic island...i am sure other moms have these moments too...and they are ok completely natural feelings...but when i hear of another mothers darkest fear becoming a reality, i feel guilty that I have been so frustrated with my healthy children...they are only acting as children do. I really don't think that Skylar and Ari devised a plan to torment me or make mess upon mess.

As another friend wrote on her blog and it sticks with me: we should be thankful that they are able to play outside and track mud in on our freshly mopped floors, that they are able to eat and spill their dinner on the floor, that they are able to voice/yell and reason their opinions because it means they are able to speak and understand...there are so many more instances that we encounter through out this journey of motherhood and we have a choice...when you hit the breaking point will you crumble or will you see the beauty in the situation for what it is... it is a constant decision, choose BEAUTIFUL! we need to remember to relish in each new day and moment, they are gifts from our wonderful creator...God is good !

so i did not write today just to ramble, as I make a conscious decision to choose beautiful I am going to try to better document our crazy beautiful lives...i used to be so good at updating and then it fell by the wayside and my excuse was 'its busier with 2' and when in fact it is, its not a valid excuse. I do have at least 2 ~ 15 minute periods every week to fill you all in on the beauty we are experiencing, life may not be perfect but its our perfect...i am not promising pictures (ok ok there will be some pictures) but at least i will update.

so here's to life...let's be thankful for what is our beauty!

Trunk or Treat...and a much needed update!

What an incredible fall day here in MI! And its about time because we have had a pretty cold and rainy season so far. So with the mild temps and sunny skies, the girls and I headed to 'Trunk or Treat' with the Hedstroms. Ari was of course just along for the ride :) But Sky loved trick or treating and getting candy, I think Halloween may end up being her favorite holiday!

We have had a lot going on in the Hansen house this fall....I have been super busy with work, photography, & life...Chris is super busy with school, and the girls are busy buy busy!!!
(to say the least)
We enjoyed family in town at the beginning of the month for Haley & Courtney's wedding. It was so great to see everyone but of course it was not nearly enough time, and there were several family members we were missing so it would be wonderful to catch up with them in the near future! Haley was an absolutely beautiful bride...I unfortunately did not shoot the wedding so I do not have any pictures to share, bummer right? My amazing friend Jaren did the photography and we are all patiently waiting to see some photos! I know they will be stunning :)

Little Miss Ari is not so little anymore...she is now 9 months old, can you believe it...time is flying by! I am trying to grasp every minute I can! She started crawling at the end of Aug and within 3 weeks was pulling to stand. She is now walking around furniture and getting pretty steady on her feet. I am betting that she will be walking by Christmas, whoo not sure if I am ready for it or not! She just had her 9 month check up and is growing perfectly...a very long 29 inches and she is weighing in at 20 lbs. (95th percent for height & 75th percent for weight) She has also come very self aware and is starting to let you know if she is not happy with certain situation (i.e. Sky taking her toys from her) She squeals pretty loud!!! She is such a great little girl even with the fact that she is becoming so aware of her ability to disagree she is most of the time a pretty laid back little girl!!

Sky is really keeping us on our toes...she is constantly making us laugh with her take on life. To see the world through her eyes, really takes any worry and stress away and leaves you with wonderful belly laughs instead <3 We are finding that she is now using our tactics against us...

a couple of of recent conversations:

sky(at 8am) : mom I want candy because I am hungry
me: ok I will make you some toast :)
sky: mom, do you hear me...look in my eyes when i talk, i am serious!
(YIKES)
needless to say she just got toast
_______________________________________________________

me: sky, ari has a red mark on her cheek, did you hit her?
sky: well mom, it was with a magic wand! and i just made her a cutie pie
(got to love her reasoning huh?)
_______________________________________________________
after taking her toys away from Ari
sky: ari is a pain in my butt
then after listening to ari scream because the toys were taken away
sky: ari is a drama queen
__________________________________________________________

we don't have many dull moments around here, and we love every minute of it!

{She's on the move}

Ari is on the move...watch out world! No more putting her down and knowing exactly where she is...she is a quick one. I can't believe how quickly my baby is growing! In additional to crawling she has 2 teeth and she is just itching to stand up...if you hold her up to the edge of the couch she grabs on and stands on her own, I am sure before we know it she will be pulling up on the furniture!

{First BIG Girl Hair Cut}

Well we decided that it was time for Ms. Skylar to have a big girl hair cut! We bit the bullet and cut about 4 inches off, it looks so cute! She cried the entire time saying " I don't want my hair cut, I just want my hair and my daddy!' After they were done they spun her around to look in the mirror and and she continued to cry saying, " I just really don't like it, I really don't" :) but good news is she likes it now!!!

{...can't be left behind}

well after Skylar modeled for Besty Bee
Miss Ari wanted in on the action too!! Besty is AWESOME
and is now doing sizes starting at 3 months! YAY, all the
pint sized divas can fill their closets now too!!!

so in addition to adding 'model' to her resume...Ari is staying busy! She is now 6 months old, really where has the time gone? She is sitting up, rolling around like a crazy lady, and just itching to crawl, I give her 3 weeks, then watch out world! She is as happy as ever and just a doll...She loves to watch her sister and just giggles with delight when tickled! She is loving the introduction to 'food', teething biscuits are topping her list of favs, but she has not turned her nose up at anything yet, this girl has an appetite!
She had her 6 month check up last week and it proved she is growing like a weed... 16 lbs 3oz (50th percentile) & just over 27 inches long (80th percentile).

**she is perfect in every way**

{Skylar's modeling debut}

My friend Betsy is launching a little girls clothing line, Betsy Bee .She just completed her fall line up so we had a day of fashions shoots to get all the product shots for her website! She has asked if Skylar would model for the shoot but I told her no promises could be made, Sky has a mind of her own and we would have to see what was on that mind the day of the shoot. I also told her it didn't help that I was the photographer! But low and behold when Sky's friends arrived the day of the shoot and she found out that part of the shoot involved painting daddy's bus pink (yes he is a great sport, he let the girls paint on the VW bus....it is getting sanded next week to get repainted:} ) she was game! SO without further ado...here is Skylar's modeling debut:

*she has definitely mastered the serious model face!*

more cousin time!

the other night we had dinner with Cari, Ryan, Tyler, Sammy, Sara, Jared, Avery & Uncle Glen & Aunt Boni. A big thanks to Cari & Ryan to hosting us all!!! :) Here are all the kiddos...5 kids age 3 and under :)

Sammy 1 1/2 yrs., Ari 5 1/2 mos., Avery 6 1/2 mos, Tyler 3 1/2 yrs, & Sky 2 1/2 yrs.

Ari & Avery

they are just 4 weeks apart, it was fun to see them together!!!

supposedly Avery is not into nuks at all but she was pretty into Ari's!

the battle was on!

aren't they sweet

Avery was trying to bite her....

we are hoping that Sara, Jared, & Avery will move back to MI sometime soon so the girls can grow up together! :)

pool time

we spent the day last weekend at wodarski's pool, we had a blast!!!

spending time with the cousins...

the other day, Michael, KJ, & Makenna came over to hang with us for a few hours....a busy couple of hours, which made me realize I am perfectly set with 2 kiddos of my own!!! Her are some pics of the kids painting! :)

michael & kj warned me that kenna did not know how to paint...well I think she did a pretty good job, other than it wasn't on the paper!!!

4th of july

we didn't get to do everything that we had planned for the day because the weather was not as great as we were hoping! But we had a great time anyhow~ we spent the afternoon and evening at Chris' Uncle Steve & Aunt Toni's house for great food, swimming and amazing fireworks!!!

Ari with Great Uncle Randy

they re-created the pyramid, Chris' Dad & his brothers

<3 LOVE this picture of Grandpa with 2 of his girls!

sisters...

Sky:"Ari can sit by me, but I need a pillow....."

...just..can't stay ...awake.....

fell asleep eating her peas! :) this is like the 3rd time, it cracks us up!

always up for a challenge

so at Start of Summer they had the Euro-bounce (REALLY fun and I totally recommend it....that is if you have not been out drinking the night before) ~anyhow~ my wonderful mother-in-law bet me that I couldn't do more back flips then she could and that I couldn't out jump her....Not thinking real clearly about what I had done the night before :) I accepted the challenge, I am proud to say that I successfully beat her in both, but me head paid for it !