ONE!

Guess who got golf clubs for his 1st birthday?
Tonight when Mike and Charlie were leaving to go to the golf course, Arne got a bit upset. Holding his plastic club in hand, he tried following them out the door and down to the car. After they were gone, he was trying to open the door. Finally, we pulled up to the course (Arne and I left about 10 minutes later) his legs were kicking non-stop. Then, when he saw Mike and Charlie he started to scream.
I think he may have been a bit overwhelmed. He couldn't figure out how to hold onto his club and the steering wheel at the same time.

May

It has been awhile since I've posted, so I thought I'd really "do it up" today. May has been such a busy, quick and GOOD month. Arne turned 8 months old on the 18th and he is moving all over the place, and happy with his new found independence. Although, don't be fooled, he still cries out for Mama and Papa each and every night. (Thanks for keepin' it real, sweet boy!)

At the beginning of May Arne celebrated summer:

Then a chilly fall:

And then a rainy spring:

The first three pictures were taken in the same week. Can I get an "UffDa?"

The middle of May took us on a roadtrip with Grandpa Spohr to Nebraska, home of Aunt Sara. The car ride was mostly delightful, full of all kinds of experiences we felt were worthy of taking Charlie out of preschool for a day. His intuitive mind was on the move asking me, Grandpa, and Sara, "Why?" about absolutely everything. Here we are after church at Southwood (Sara's
church):

Sunday afternoon brought us to the Lincoln Children's museum. For most Nebraska is defined by its football team and all things red, but for Charlie Nebraska is the museum and Aunt Sara.

The biggest reason for our trip was to spend a few days with Sara before her departure to Tanzania. We felt honored to get to drop her off and the airport and be involved in her packing decisions. For instance, Charlie was beside himself that Sara would only pack ONE pair of pajamas for 90 nights in Africa...so by the time she was all packed and ready to go there were TWO pairs. whew.


Alright...back home. Here's Arne and Charlie on the 18th (Arne's officially 8 months old)



family portrait? and Charlie "winning" a mini tournament between him and Mike.


New Bike for Charlie! It was time to upgrade to a bigger bike for Charlie, so after chores and shopping we came home with this beauty! At the bike shop the guy asked Charlie, "What's your favorite part about this bike?" Charlie said, "Everything!...well, probably the kickstand."

Last day of preschool (Charlie, his friend John, and his teacher, Amber)

Under the table... Pink deck...

Charlie and ALL of his grandparents in the SAME pew this past Sunday. Mike got installed at his new church in Morris this past Sunday, the 22nd.

Garage Sale Finds and Sleeping Boys

Yesterday we went to a garage sale at Grandma Spohr's church in Morris. Charlie is very excited about the silky basketball outfit (just like Ben's!!!!) and Harry Potter get up.


This is our morning today. Apparently mom and dad's bed keeps the bad dreams at bay.

Happy Easter!

Vacation

We are back home after a nice vacation to northern MN and Michigan (the UP)...the pictures are in backwards order...
Part of the fun of our car ride was coming up with activities to make the ride enjoyable. We listened to books on tape (Dr. Seuss Favorites was fun for all), played games, and had plenty of art supplies at the ready. This is a picture Charlie created on his white board. I think its kinda cool...a bit Tim Burton-ish even. The second photo is an unfortunate car we happened upon in Duluth. I can't quite figure it out...

Below is sweet Solveig....Michigan's finest! We spent 3 nights with the Hopmans...We had so much fun that we forgot about taking pictures. Between stuffing our faces with pasties, fish-n-chips, bacon and lattes, we had a great time just being together. On Friday the wind was so gusty that we didn't even make it outdoors until evening when we went to the arcade place for Charlie's sake (and sanity!)

The first night of vacay found us in Nashwauk at Mike's grandparents' house. Lorraine and Bud are simply the best. We enjoyed our time together which included Christmas in February and a hike around their place.



Here's Charlie and Great Grandpa checking out the wood and wood stove.

Great Grandpa's home-ade earplugs...

Happy Valentine's Day from the Hanson Boys....

Lincoln comes for a visit...

Arne found his toes/new toys!

Arne plays "conductor." All the trains had to stop in front of him and wait for his signal.

Winter Creations...

This winter has found me looking for creative (and inexpensive) things to do with my kiddos. Many of our "kid" creations (sword, shield, a sheath, and airplanes) have already hit the BLoG, but here are a few of the things that I have been working on when Charlie is at school and Arne is napping.

I dyed this onesie aqua in hopes of covering a stain. When that didn't work, I decided to give this cute floral fabric a try. (I originally purchased the fabric for this maternity skirt). Turns out there was enough fabric left over to make a pair of pants. I think that the remainder of this fabric could find its way into a quilt for a little girl's baby doll.

I made this little shirt for Ray in honor of his LOVE of Big Rigs. I was originally wanting to use Black fabric for the Big Rig and yellow thread, in hopes of a Tonka looking vehicle, but my sewing room didn't have the right color of thread...so I decided to work with what I had.

Golf course "kid" napkins are finally done. I bought this fabric last summer in hopes of making cloth napkins for Charlie's birthday party... However, when I ended up using paper plates, I thought cloth napkins seemed a tad ridiculous! I ended up using the bulk of this fabric for Charlie's cape, and then ended up having enough left over for four napkins (one was in the wash)

Tomorrow my nephew Ray turns 3! I went to the store in hopes of finding some nice Big Rig fabric, but it was all a little too cutesy. I ended up buying a yard of this animal print instead. It is cutesy--but a good kind of cutesy, in my opinion! I think it would make really cute curtains for a kid's room.
I ended up making this "onesize" apron with a snap for the neck strap, making it user friendly for any size head! Once I finished the apron and napkins, I had the idea of making a place mat. I used a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper and contact paper. I traced our dinner plate, cut it out added stickers, a picture, and a table prayer. I like this idea, I think Charlie would have fun making his own special place mat. I also like the idea of adding different table prayers for families to learn and say.

Next up? well, I need to patch holes in almost every pair of a certain 4 year old's jeans. Then I might try my hand at making a sling for Arne. I bought a pattern the other day for a Ergo looking Baby carrier. It won't have the buckles, but instead it will tie around the adult's waist. I have some nice canvas-y IKEA fabric that might look super-fab!
I also came across an idea for cutesy-ing up t-shirts/onesies with stains or holes. Stay tuned, that could be fun!

Battle Moves and Jumping Shoes

The Chronicles of Narnia seem to be capturing the attention of one Charlie Hanson. This week and last, all talk and play consists of a shield, sword, and sheath. We even moved Arne's swing into the laundry room so that Charlie could practice "Battle Moves." Arne is even getting in on the action with his "baby sword"....

Little Arne is enjoying his jumper still, and now sporting his first pair of shoes!
And lastly, a new equation has hit the scene...9+10=19. We are happy that Grandpa is okay and smiling after a run in with his saw.