Summer 2012

Let's be honest: The kids aren't as cute as they once were.  I really don't need to post things as often.  Now, they're mostly annoying.  Ha!  Just kidding...kind of. 

The Evens are saints and came to hang out with us for 5 days over the 4th of July. 

 We had so much fun!!!!  I still laugh just thinking of the nervous breakdown I nearly had as Sue and I were alone with the kids as the guys golfed and I listened to someone critique everything I did in the kitchen as I tried to make lunch and the kids were starving and then Marie pooped on the floor and Toni ran to the neighbors that hate us already; all at the same time.   So I had "Bud-liter-aids" (as Chuck called them) for lunch and everything was O.K.  And VERY FUNNY.  Sue and I became immediately HILARIOUS. 

This is not Sue and I.  Imagine we're this cute.  But funnier. 

Chuck's mom, Judy, came for a couple of nights over the 4th.  It was great to have another grandma around to help with kiddos!  Look to the right of the picture and you can see the awesome beverage holders my dad made for us.  No more kids kicking over the drinks!

 The Middle Cormorant 4th of July boat parade! 
Grandma Judy said that was her favorite part of the day. 

Travis and Eva helped make this flag cake. 
We put candles on it and sang Happy Birthday to America. 

 It was HOT on the 4th of July.   They all went slip and sliding...

And the slip and slide got "Chuck Evens-ed" to be long enough for the adults.

Chuck and Chris decided to take the kids fishing (well, more Chuck than Chris.  But, Chris was a good sport).  Much more time was spent getting ready for fishing than actually fishing. 

 Norah was the cutest fisherwoman.

 It was rainy one of the days, so we headed to Fargo to hang out. 
Some rode the "fairest" wheel at Scheels.

We all thought the safest bet was to put Luke in his own seat.

Bunk beds are for fort building, right?  You can see Travis trying to bring Norah to tears with boredom as he shows her his bounty hunter story. 

He named a bounty hunter after her just to keep her interested.

Sadly, I have many pictures of the fun that the kids had during the day. But, not any pictures of the fun board games and bon fires that the adults enjoyed when the kids went to bed.  So, I'll just post this picture pre-children and tell you we all still look this youthful.   Thanks for coming Chuck, Sue, Andrew and Norah!

After Eva broke her arm in June, I got a taste of how fun it could be to do very little in the summer vs running around.  Much fun was had in the "hood" in Fox Run.

Allison took great pictures of my children...

 Marie did not go to sleep, but instead put on a swimsuit...

 Luke cuddled with dad as they watched golf...

 Luke and Mi-mi dressed up as princesses...

 Marie got her face painted....

 By Liv and Eva...

Travis wrote and illustrated story after story involving droids like this

 and Star Wars and Ninjago characters.

 Travis also did some cooking...

Which is funny because he opened the craft sticks for his popsicles just like his mom would by cutting off the resealable ziplock closure... 

 There were multiple lemonade/face painting stands this summer...

And the "Rockin' Lites" performed at Allison's 18th Birthday party on Karnik's patio. 

Travis was the DJ.  Marie keeps asking to go to the "concert."

We also had a great time at Sheila's "pick-pick", as Marie called it,

with our daycare friends we don't get to see much in the summer.     

Instead of camping, we had the Buckhouses out to the lake for a 3 day weekend. MOST of us brought our shirts from the 125th Hankinson Centennial last year to take the picture we forgot to take.

 Marie taught Halle how to drink juice boxes, which there seems to be a
never-ending supply of at the lake.

 This weekend was HOT as well.  Nolan (aka: Uncle Pickle) floated...

 ...Chris tried to splash him.

Adam pulled Eva and Travis around and around as they barked-out orders at him so lovingly. 

Marie, Sheena and Halle fed bread to the fish... and to Halle.  

Since it was vacation, we all did relaxing things.  Sheena and I sat around in Clint and Lois' recliners and read while the others finished their Mooseluck Olympics. 

 Grandpa Gerry fished. 

Grandma Tree relaxed and enjoyed an "udder one." 

I am not happy at all that we only have a video of this occurence vs a picture.  Adam, Nolan, Sheena and I headed to DL with Chris while he did a remote at the Holiday Inn on the beach while grandma and grandpa watched the kids.  I am typically the hulahoop champion in all bar competitions I enter.  At the Rock in 1997 or so (not 2003 as Chris says), I was not typically competeing against little kids or people 15 years younger than me that all grabbed the good hoops.  My back hurt so bad and my abs were burning so bad that I had to stop!  I tried to blame it on them getting the good hoops.  But, it hurt.  Bad.  You'll see me practicing in the "hood" from now on. 

We also had a very fun extended weekend when the Kemp's visited from Shanghai.  This is Luke, Hugo Hoffman (Jen's oldest) and Jack Kemp (Ingrid's oldest), who are all similar ages.

 These are 7 of the 11 kiddos between Ginger, Ingrid, Jen and I that we had watch a video so we could drink margaritas.  I took 5 pictures; this was the best one. 

As with the Evens, these 11 kiddos were so time consuming, we didn't get any pictures of us adults together. So, again, I'll just post these and tell you we look exactly as youthful.

  But, with coffee in our hands as we suffer from extreme fatigue from staying up way too late and

then having to get up with the kids in the mornings. 

 It was a great time Jen (and Chris), Ginger and Ingrid (and Dave)!

luke and marie talking during bedtime

Pretend I knew what I was doing and got this to go after the old dresser picture.  It would then smoothly transition like this...

And the reason the two big kids now have the downstairs to themselves is because the little two yahoos are sharing a bedroom.  Luke needs Marie to protect him from his bad dreams.  Jess, you mentioned that you didn't know how kids ever go to sleep when they share a room?  This is a "listen only" video because I didn't want them to see me.  This was after being in bed for an hour.  Everyone else in the house is sleeping.  "Knock, knock."  says the two year old.  "Diaper on my head."  So funny...

Travis turns 7

Party had to be postponed by a day due to a bad cold for poor Travis.  This is my tip of simplicity/frugality all rolled into one:  When your child picks a theme such as "lego ninjago" and you cannot find anyone to make one of those cakes for you (or don't want to try because you're cheap) and would never decorate a cake yourself, have child find pictures on-line to print off, cut them out, have them laminated, and tape toothpicks to the back.  Now child thinks HE made the cake and there's no "well, that doesn't really look like Kai's sword to me" over your decorating skills.  

I have done this so many times it is pathetic.  

So, Travis turning 7 made me think of him when he was all cute and yummy like this. 

Which made me want to hold him which he is so happy about.

We hit a pinata at the party.  If I don't have to buy the kid a cake, they get a pinata.  

That's the deal around here.  

Hanson kids and Orion, Quentin, Joshua P, Max M, Carter and Keaton.  

Nothing much else has been happening at the Hanson home.  Luke has still been making himself some snacks, with his hat on crooked... ice cream with yogurt on top.  Yum?!?

Marie loves everything princess.  Luke loves playing princess with her also, but I thought one moron-type photo per blog post would suffice for Luke.

This picture is of Eva... before she waved the dress around and burnt a hole in it on a candle...back when we had 2 kids and lit candles....so before the dress looked like it was owned by a cigarette smoking princess.

It has been musical bedrooms for so many years around here, Eva and Travis never really had their own rooms that they got to help pick out things for.  Although the bedrooms don't look anything like the pages of Pottery Barn, I at least don't hate them anymore.  Travis got a Star Wars bedroom.   Now he can lock the door and do legos all day.  

I searched and searched and searched for a dresser for Eva's room.  I wanted an old, used dresser.  I like to say I was being "green" and not "cheap." (The dresser was completely refinished, solid oak, $220) Doesn't matter, because I LOVE this dresser.  As mentioned on the radio, it looks like a big bowl with a pitcher should be sitting on it so you can wash up before bed back in 1912.  The mirror looks like ghosts could pop out.  Chris says he doesn't even know me; reading books and buying antiques.  In a dream world, my house would be as modern-modern as it could get, but with some "old soul" furniture in the mix.  NOT the dresser Eva would've picked.  I didn't tell Eva this, but the great-grandma dresser goes perfect with her great-grandma name and I love it.

I haven't only been reading books and buying antique furniture, I've also been laughing my head off reading the Kemp's adventures as they and their 3 children moved to Shaghai for 3 years.  No seatbelts, no helmets... the kids obviously love this thing!  I think its funny because Ingrid is one of the smallest friends I have and she looks like a giant on this thing.  My head would be poking out the top and my knees would be in the basket?   It is really no different than golf carts at the lake or gators in Hankinson;  it's just what you do.