Finally it's summer... but no swimming for poor Eva. She was out in our blow-up pool any chance she got all summer, and now she can't.

But, we did rig her up a bag system so that she can go down the water slide and run through the sprinkler and such. Although, she is not a very good aimer with this sprayer and one left hand. Dad got sprayed pretty good dressed up on his way out to celebrate good radio ratings.

Eva with her bag. Neighbor girl: Maggie. I know, she's super cute. She's as sweet as she is cute and we love these neighbors and they are moving. I tried for a long time to just not like them.... impossible.

Eva's broken arm

A pregnancy just wouldn't be complete around here without someone getting casted. Too bad it had to be Eva though. She broke the distal (far) end of the ulna and radius, a greenstick and buckle fracture for you medical people. She fell off her razor scooter. A scooter Chris had not wanted because he thought they were so dangerous. I thought it was great for balance and coordination and just a part of growing up......hmmmmm. I had also been beating myself up that we were horrible parents that had not taught her to ride a bike without training wheels yet because she just didn't seem coordinated enough........ guess I got that one right! She said it really didn't hurt that bad. Expected to heal very quickly, cast off in 3 weeks and back to normal in 6. She was at the neighbors' playing as soon as we got home and is now at a movie with them. She has now broken her leg, head and arm and she is SIX YEARS OLD!!!! And yes, I did ask if she has some weird bone disease or something as well and they do not think so. Just bad luck. She is completely fine though. We had been planning a trip to a hotel that has a big, sandy beach and a pool in Detroit Lakes that Chris stays at while he is at WeFest. We went last year and they loved it. She can't go, she wants to stay at the lake with Grandma Lois instead of watching the boys swim or instead of us all staying home. Every pregnancy I am doing this ortho/bathing with a cast crap. Yes, yes, yes..... I know.... this is the last baby.

No pictures of the purple cast because dad took the camera to WeFest......

Bad Chicken

Remember when the 4th of July used to be about beer and mooseluck, maybe a little golf? Well, Chuck and Chris tried out the beer and golf. Maybe lots of beers because this video clip was what Chuck taught Travis after they got home. Sorry, a little dialogue with Lois while Chris is grillin' BBQ chicken. We also talked when after a day of drinking and mooseluck and wakeboarding, we'd then get ready to go out around 8 or 9. We were in bed instead.

bad chicken

4th of July

I wanted an hour to myself and I didn't care the cost. Luke's thing to do (taught to him by Eva) is throw plastic cups over the stairs and say "PARTY!" Well, they took it to the extreme party for my "hour off." The nice touch that Eva wasn't so proud of when she had to clean it up was the paper she cut into itty-bitty squares for "snow." I could hear laughing and laughing from Luke, so I at least knew he was safe. An hour off, but an hour to help them clean it up. Not sure that was the smartest idea I had, or they had.

The neighbors had a nest of baby bunnies. It was the gathering place of the neighborhood. Paige told Luke that the bunnies were going nigh-nigh, so he went in the house and got his blankie and laid down.

I did at one point look out the window at the bunnies and see Toni digging in the nest and about an hour later rolling in something in the yard. I thought our sweet Toni was a murderer, but didn't find any dead bunnies anywhere.

Our pool man.

Chuck taking Andrew and Travis for a canoe ride. Poor Andrew, Travis had big-brother-brain that weekend and was so nervous that Andrew was going to drop the paddle in the lake. He was also so nervous about Luke on the dock and started crying that he was just scared he would fall in and didn't want me to let go of him. Isn't that sweet?

Travis using my belly for a pillow. The other day, I was outside watching Luke and talking to the neighbors. Eva went in and Chris asked her "where's mom?" Eva says "She's outside talking to the neighbors. Mom's the fattest one out there!" I asked Chris if he gave her a high five..... he says no?

Sue brought to our attention how funny it is that we run and get the camera whenever tantrums occur. How horrible is it that I had never even thought of that? HA! For some reason the chair needed to go through the glass for Luke at that moment. I tried putting it in, nope. I tried setting it in front of the door, nope. He was just mad, mad, mad. Funny to us.

Travis' huge muscles.

Giving Luke some big muscles with baseballs.

And then attacking Chuck with his big muscles. Eva in her cool sunglasses and Hannah Montana life jacket. See, I get her girl stuff sometimes!

Luke trying to get the camera.

Our darling God-daughter, Norah Louise. She's really cute even without all this stuff, but I didn't get any good pictures of her.

Travis and Eva both passed swimming lessons this year. Yes, Eva who puked in the pool when she was 4 because she was so nervous passed level one. I thought she'd be 10 before that happened. Taking Luke to swimming lessons where he couldn't get in the pool was a total nightmare.

Stealing daddy's hat.

Chuck and Sue made my kids so happy by decorating the pontoon and being in the boat parade this year. No wonder Travis has asked me every day for the past 2 months "when are we going to Chuck and Sue's?"

Travis playing cars at home. I LOVE toys in the kitchen so much.... NOT!

See note above about how we run and get the camera when our children are having a bad moment. Occasionally, Luke is crabby for 30 minutes when he gets up from his nap. This was one of those days, so he got his blankies and laid on the kitchen floor.

Backyard fun.

Oh look, there's no one around Eva, she must be winning?!?!?!??! Oh no. She's last. Not last out of 10 kids, last out of about 50. I know I'm nearing the age when it won't be nice to make fun of her anymore, but it is funny..... and sad right now. I don't think I have to worry about spending my life in the bleachers watching Eva. She asked me "why does everyone want to run so fast?" HA! I told her "because Eva, winning can be really fun." She says "mom, I'm NEVER going to win." This was before I knew that she was coming in last. Then, she went to BB camp. The first day, she pointed to the other girls and shook her head "no" so that they wouldn't throw the ball to her. I almost fell off my chair laughing. She did get much better though in a week, but she still didn't like it. She asked where the "camping" part of BB camp was? You know, tents, smores, etc. She just isn't into it at all.

Luke and Toni

Travis turns 4

Travis with his pinata and new cars shirt and cars decorations. Such a big kid! He says now that he can fish off the canoe and fishing will be easy because he's four. He didn't think he should have to do any more chores though now that he's four?????

Sorry Luke and any other Hanson's to follow, but we will now not be starting friends parties until 4 years old, unless I cave. 4 and 5 year olds are the nicest people! This party was a piece of cake! They all listen so nice and took turns so nice. And they didn't even really destroy the house, even though they could of. Eva and the girls took out every necklace/lip gloss/hair tie/pony/barbie/accessory/ art project that they could find. It took me a week to clean up. The boys, they threw bean bags at therapy cones and went hunting for deer most of the time. So nice.

Kaden N, Eva, Jamie, Colton, Kaden B, Travis

Musical chairs.

Luke at the party. Is this kid a Buckhouse or what???????? Looks like my brothers.

Travis and the pinata.

I'm eating my 5th meal of the day at 8pm.... spaghetti and meatballs. I also took a two hour nap today about having two cavities filled, so I should have the energy for this. Having babies ruins my teeth. With Luke, I got gingivitis (OK, so I rarely brushed my teeth because I threw up every time) and a crown. Now, if my previa and puking wasn't enough, I've had a root canal, two cavities filled and I have some gum/viral infection going on. I seriously see my dentist as much as I see my OBGYN when I'm pregnant.

Also, it was mother's day. If you refer to the May 2008 blog, you can see what Eva wrote about me last time for her mother's day "questionaire." Seriously, if I was a teacher, I'd do these things FOR SURE and just laugh my head off. This time, there were questions again... one of them being "My mom looks funny when she...............Eva answers................................IS IN THE SHOWER." I couldn't stop laughing and she says "well, you do!" She also wrote "I wish my mom.........WOULD PLAY WITH ME EVERY DAY." After I ask Eva what she means because I am so crushed and full of guilt, she says to wants me to just play with her for an entire day and do nothing else. I'm glad I looked like the worst mom ever to her teacher just wishing for me to play with her because you all know what a mean mom I am. Then, lovely Travis made the SAME WISH when he blew out his birthday candles. Nice.