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!