Last T-Ball Game 2011

Wow! That season went by quickly. Matthew officially had his last t-ball game on Tuesday night of this week. I would have to say that our team had the best hitters in the league. We weren't necessarily the best in the outfield ... but those kids could really swing a bat!

Matthew improved so much this year. Basketball totally wasn't his thing last winter, but he is a good little ball player. Next year he really wants to play machine pitch, but I think he has one more year of t-ball before they allow that.

Both Grandma Jane and Grandma and Grandpa Hanson were able to make it. We are so lucky to have them all so close, and the kids really love it when they come. Rod even took a few minutes to play catch with Amy. When I walked over toward them, she yelled out, "I caught 11 in a row!" So funny.

Enjoy the pictures. The navy crew did well this summer. Looking forward to our next sport - maybe soccer in September?

Father's Day 2011

Happy Father's Day! What a fun day. Matthew was kind enough to wake us all up around 6:30 am. He was really excited that the tooth fairy had come to visit last night, so he thought he would show us all what she left.

Well ... when you are up ... you are up ... so let the celebration begin!

Our day started with some presents for Arik. Not super exciting, but the kids stayed true to things that he loves. We got him a gift card to Penn Cycle so he can get some new accessories for his bike, and a gift card to Caribou Coffee to feed his addiction. After presents, we headed off to our favorite breakfast location - Bryant Lake Bowl. It was awesome (as usual).

Next up - lawn mowing! Arik and Matthew took to the yard to show off their "manly" skills, and Amy and I headed to the store to get some ingredients for our evening BBQ at Aaron's house.

Overall, it was a great day. Our kids are lucky to have a Dad that loves them so much. Happy Father's Day Arik!

Toothless

Meet our son. We like to call him "toothless"! I absolutely love smiles with missing teeth - especially the top two! Matthew lost one of them a couple of weeks ago, but the second one has been hanging on for dear life. Not anymore! It finally fell out yesterday when he took a bite of a donut. Funny.

Check out the photos of his gummy grin, and his complete delight in his tooth fairy loot! That lady is going to go broke with this kid! Hopefully he will give her a little break before the other two top ones fall out.

Breakfast

One of our favorite things to do on weekend mornings is to go out for breakfast! I somehow got hooked on coffee a couple of years ago. Arik and I have determined we are horrible at making it ourselves, so we always find someone to make it for us on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

This Saturday, Amy and I went to breakfast by ourselves. Arik took Matthew with him to a work event, so Amy and I had "girl time" for a while. It was awesome. She is such a laid back and funny kid. We went to the Original House of Pancakes in Edina. If you have never been there - YOU MUST GO! It is fantastic.

Amy and I colored her kids placemat the whole time we were there. She was very particular about which parts of the picture I could color, and even more particular about which crayons I could use! She was so proud that we colored the entire thing. I can't believe we had time to eat our pancakes! Check out the picture of our masterpiece.

Before I sign off, I need to capture a funny conversation Amy and I had on Friday as we were walking down the street to pick up Matthew:

Amy: "I touched a martian before"
Me: "You touched a what?"
Amy: "A martian"
Me: "Where did you touch a martian?"
Amy: "Over there (pointing at a yard) ... and then I had to wash my hands."
Me: "Do you mean a mushroom? Did you touch a mushroom?"
Amy: "Yeah ... a marshmallow ..."

Cirque du Soleil

On June 9th, the whole family set off on an adventure to see "OVO" the new Cirque du Soleil show that is in town. It was set up in a tent over by the Mall of America. Wow. What an amazing show! It certainly isn't cheap to go there, but well worth it. The kids loved it as much as we did.

There were a couple of acts that ran a little long, but overall, it was a fantastic show.

As we were sitting there waiting for it to start, one of the people that worked there walked up to our aisle and asked if we would like a couple of booster seats for the kids. Brilliant! They were so nice, and they actually had a really thick cushion on them so the kids were seated almost at the same height as an adult. It made all the difference in the world. For once, we could attend something without the kids ending up in our laps!

Overall, a wonderful night. The costumes were great, the show was great, and the kids were on their best behavior.

Check out the funny photos of Amy and I having fun with the hats that were for sale at intermission!

Why the guns?

So I decided to take the kids to see "Kung Fu Panda 2" this weekend. We got to the show a few minutes early, so I let them run across the hall to the arcade. Wouldn't you know it, this is the game they ended up at. Why? Why are kids so obsessed with guns? We don't own any guns. We don't hunt anything. They don't even have any real life knowledge of them - yet they turn every other toy into one, and go running for them at a place like this. So weird.

Of course, I didn't actually let them play the game. I just let them pretend for a couple of minutes.

Definitely not a proud parenting moment, but the picture did make me laugh. Amy's gun is almost as big as she is! Crazy kids!

Kindergarten Graduation

Wow! The day is finally here. Matthew has officially graduated from kindergarten!

Such a day of mixed emotions. Much of it was spent reflecting on the past year, and the rest looking forward to what first grade has to offer. Several of Matthew's good friends will be in his class again next year. We don't know much about his teacher, but we do know that she has been with the school for a long time. We are anxious to see how a year with an experienced teacher differs from what we had this year.

The graduation ceremony was short and sweet. The kids were called up one by one to get a certificate from their teacher, and walk down the aisle with their little graduation hat on. It was so cute. They had music playing in the background too.

Here are a few pictures from the day. I love the last two of Matthew and his little friends.

Let the summer fun begin!

The Last "Friday Folder"

I got a little choked up when I took Matthew's "Friday Folder" out of his backpack this weekend. All year long, his teacher has sent this red folder home twice a week. On Wednesdays, it came home with district announcements, flyers for events, or offers for classes or sports. On Fridays, it came home with a note from his teacher, his homework, and all of his worksheets and art projects for the week.

This week - No homework. No worksheets. Just a note from the teacher.

This is the last "Friday Folder".

On Wednesday June 8th, Matthew will graduate from kindergarten. I can't even believe it! I can't believe how much he has learned and matured this year. Reading? Writing? Subtraction? In kindergarten? I swear we didn't do some of that stuff until first or second grade!

This year has been such a learning experience for all of us. It was a much harder transition than we anticipated. Matthew is our first child to go to school, so we really didn't know what to expect. On top of that, we had a brand new teacher, and a new principal. For a while, I think we all felt like we had a whole lot of new going on!

Our primary goal for the year was for Matthew to enjoy going to school. That was all we needed for kindergarten. We just wanted him to be excited to go to school every day. Of course, we wanted him to make new friends, and to learn lots of new things - but most of all - we wanted him to like it.

Mission accomplished - He loves it!

So, goodbye red folder. We will definitely miss you, ... but I have a feeling there will be a new folder to take your place next year in first grade!

The Little Tumbler

As if the weekly music and Dancercise programs were not enough - the wee one is now tumbling! We just signed Amy up for a 6 week tumbling class at the park down the street. There were 12 kids there the first night. She really seemed to like it. It is for kids ages 3 to 6. She is one of the youngest kids, and is probably the smallest.

However, don't let her size fool you. I call her Mighty Mouse all the time for a reason - that kid is strong! Her little legs are all muscle!

Lately I have noticed that Amy is really good at just watching something ... internalizing it ... and then doing it. She was second or third in line for each of the tumbling activities. After watching a couple of kids do it - she totally had it down! They did handstands against the wall, forward rolls, and even got to pretend to be different animals for a while.

Her teacher, Alexis, was really cute. She appears to be a college gymnast or something - young and fun! I can't wait to see what they do next week!

Kindergarten Music Program

To my dismay, Matthew's first year of school is coming to an end. The annual music program was a great way for his class to show off some of the things they have learned this year. Had I known it was such a big deal, I would have invited the grandparents to join in the fun! Next year - I promise.

There are four kindergarten classes at Hale, but the stage is so small that they could only accommodate two at a time.

You will laugh if you spy Matthew in the pictures. As you can imagine, if I didn't know that the program was a big deal ... I also didn't even think to dress him in anything other than his usual attire. Um ... when I walked him into school that morning, most of the girls were in dresses, and maybe half of the boys were wearing a dress shirt. One of his little friends was even wearing a SUIT!

Yep .... my child is the one in the front row (far right side - second from end) in the shark t-shirt and shorts. Oops.

Despite the informal clothing, the music program was a success! I was so impressed! The kids were up on stage for about an hour, and they sang 12 songs! There was a student that introduced each song, and some of the numbers even involved props and instruments.

They did a fantastic job!

I have been hearing those songs around our house all year. Matthew loves to sing. You wouldn't know it from the behavior reports I get from his music teacher ... but he is always belting something out around the house! Perhaps he takes after his Grandpa Hanson or his Uncle Rocco?

After the program, Matthew's teacher invited the parents to stay for snack and recess. It was really fun. Matthew greeted me at his classroom with this adorable card.

I just can't believe how much he has learned in this past year! Way to go Matthew! We are so proud of you!

Dancercise

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of kid activities. I thought I would take some time tonight to catch up the blog! Sooo ... we enrolled Amy in Dancercise earlier this year. They actually bring the class onsite to her daycare, so it is really convenient. She goes once a week for about a half hour. I haven't had a chance to go and watch her class, so their little "performance" was my first chance to see my $38 a month in action!

The teacher, Mariah, is ADORABLE! The kids were pretty shy with all of the extra eyes on them, but I bet they have a blast when nobody is around. She incorporates all kinds of learning into the dance routines - counting, colors, sign language, and all sorts of fancy dance shoes! Now I know why Amy puts on different shoes every time she starts to boogie!

Here are a couple of pictures from the event!