Peek-a-boo!

Andrew loves playing peek-a-boo. His vocabulary is also expanding-he nows says drink and done.

Cousins

Here Sophia and Andrew are with their new (and only) cousin, Levi. Levi is less than a day old in this picture. Andrew immediately tried to kiss him and Sophia is very excited to at long last meet him.

It's a Boy!

Jen and Matt welcomed Levi Maddux yesterday (Monday, December 8th) at 10:07 p.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. We think he's a keeper! Please check out pictures at:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4e54677a4d6a49354f413d3d0d0a

A Few of Their Favorite Things

Sophia is a huge fan of the Backyardigans right now. The other night we made our second annual gingerbread house (which we now need to keep hidden so Mac doesn't eat it-last year one of the
gingerbread men didn't make it). Just like last year, Sophia seemed more interested in EATING the candy than decorating the house, although she did decorate it all on her own. One comment she kept making was, "I forgot what this tastes like" (about the candy she had tried just minutes earlier). The last picture is of her latest Monet painting. Our little girl is smiling today, but last night was in tears, complaining of her ear hurting. Sure enough, she had an inner AND outer ear infection!












Andrew loves standing up on anything (last night he hopped right up on the scale after Sophia was weighed at the doctor's office-all on his own initiative). Our pair of step stools is getting a lot of use between the two kids. He loves carrying them all over the house and then standing up on them. He also loves stealing the cover off the nightlight and then running away with it. And yes, he likes to wear Sophia's play necklaces.

The Precious Laugh of a Child

I never get tired of hearing Andrew (and Sophia) laugh. Turn up the sound and enjoy-I promise it will bring a smile to your face.

Update

It's been awhile since I've done an update on life in the Hansen household. Sophia and Andrew continue to keep us busy.
Sophia-loves to read, do puzzles, art projects and play games. She is great at writing her own name now. Her current favorite show is The Backyardigans. Last weekend, Erik took her ice skating for the second time and she once again had a great time. She was so proud of the fact that she skated a little bit on her own without her dad's help. She is very excited for the arrival of her cousin, which should be any day now.


Andrew-his new favorite thing is to stand up on things-the rocking chair, step stool-basically on anything. He also loves taking things out of the kitchen drawers now-cutting boards and cups seem to be his favorite. He recently has mastered holding his own spoon and feeding himself. He is finally taking more of an interest in books, although he still doesn't sit still through an entire one. He would much rather look at the pages on his own. He now says dada, mama, nana (banana), what's that and boom (when he steps down off something).

Halloween

Look at our cute little lion and bumble bee.

This one's for you, Amanda!

First Family Trip

It took a year, but we finally took a family trip. With the change in seasons, we thought Duluth would be the perfect place for a quick weekend getaway. Sophia really wanted to see the lighthouse so we made our first stop Splitrock Lighthouse (after stopping for lunch at one of our favorites-The Scenic Cafe). The kids had fun playing with some magnetic fish in the visitor center and Sophia then discovered a free visitors guide to the area. Her interest in the lighthouse was quickly replaced by this guide-she thought it was great. Did I mention it was free? Why is it that the smallest things always seem to generate the most interest? We did go up to the top and then walked down to the shore, where Sophia though it would be a great idea to pick the largest rock possible as her souvenir. Andrew also had fun walking around and playing with the rocks. Erik and I were quite tired after our hike back to the car.

We then went to Gooseberry Falls. Sophia wasn't as impressed as I thought she might be. She decided that after we had hiked down to the falls and taken her shoes off to wade in the water, that she needed to use the bathroom. Andrew also decided that since we didn't have diapers or wipes along, that he too needed to go to the bathroom. Luckily, we ran into some friends there who had the proper supplies.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn that night. Sophia had been looking forward to swimming. In fact, I think that was her favorite thing we did. Unfortunately, the bottom part of her swimsuit and Andrew's suit somehow got left behind. Thankfully, we had two swim diapers and Sophia is tiny enough that she fit into one of them. Otherwise, we would have had a real crisis on our hands. Sophia did a first-bravely jumping into the water into Erik's arms! She swam again this morning but spent most of the time jumping in again and again-until she saw a younger child being thrown into the air and caught. She decided that this looked like fun (never mind that this other child weighed quite a bit less) so Erik got a real workout in the water.

Today we went to Canal Park and walked around that area. The bridge was raised so a ship could pass through-Sophia thought that was pretty cool. Andrew thought the ship's horn was very scary. Sophia has become quite the little rock collector - picking up lots of rocks on our trip (and pretty much any other time she finds rocks). So, today in Canal Park she got a rock book with pictures of different types of rocks ($1!). She is having lots of fun looking up different rocks, including her new Lake Superior agate, in her new book.

Despite Andrew getting a fever and our camera breaking, it was a fun trip!
Check out pictures at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcuWrhszZsWTnw

Apple Picking

Today we took our annual trip to the apple orchard with my mom and sisters-what a beautiful day for it! Unfortunately for me, the bees were out in full force-hopefully Sophia and Andrew don't take after me in that respect. We took a tractor ride out to the apples, which Sophia liked and Andrew didn't think much of. Sophia had a lot of fun picking the apples and they both enjoyed sampling them. Andrew was quite interested in the pumpkins too.

Venting a Little Frustration

Sophia had to spend a little time in her room this morning for not listening. I was quite impressed with how quiet she was while in there. She calmly asked if she could come out after awhile and then proceeded to tell me that she had been so mad that she threw ALL her clothes on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh when I opened the the door to her room and found that she did indeed do just that.

One Step at a Time

Andrew is officially a walker! While he still hasn't given up crawling all together yet, he has figured out that using his feet to get around isn't so bad after all (notice the big grin on his face).

Running and Walking

Here's a link to the day Sophia got to run around the bases at the Twins game (pictures 18 and 19). I just discovered our camera clock is 10 minutes fast, which explains why I couldn't find the picture of her online-I was looking under the wrong time.

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=twins&gallery_id=1187595&tcount=23&scount=18

In other news, Andrew has started taking his first steps on his own! He is quite proud of himself as he toddles around.

Smile for the Camera!

We took Sophia and Andrew to get their pictures taken. When we did, I was reminded why we didn't do professional pictures with Sophia on more than two occassions. Andrew just wanted to crawl all over the place and Sophia wanted to tackle him to the ground each time to hold him in place. We went back for a second session and I think we ended up with some good pictures. I may be a little biased, but I think they are pretty photogenic kids. Here's the link to the pictures. You'll need to copy/paste the following info after you've gotten to the site. Enjoy!

http://www.thesmilestation.com/asp/tss_view.asp

Erik Hansen
LTTT0792104037TAR

Twins Game

We went the Twins game yesterday-our second as a family of four. We took the light rail down, which Sophia loved. Amazingly, both kids stayed entertained for the entire game, although not by watching the action on the field. Sophia borrowed her daddy's scoring sheet, ate popcorn and hung out with her Uncle Matt. Andrew, as you can see in one of the pictures below, found a cup to be lots of fun to play with. Both kids were outfitted in their Twins gear (Sophia picked out a Twins shirt at the store that morning) but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help them win. After the game, Sophia got to go down on the field and run around the bases. She fell asleep while waiting to go down on the field, but insisted she wanted to do it. By the time we got back on the light rail, Sophia was done in for the day and didn't like the prospect of standing for the trip back. Luckily, a kind woman volunteered her son's seat so we could sit down. I think it benefited everyone on board, as they didn't have to listen to Sophia's vocals for the next 30 minutes.

Too Cute!

Sophia can be pretty grouchy when she wakes up from her afternoon nap, which I never understand. Aren't you supposed to be happy and refreshed after a nap? Anyway, today was one of those days. I was finishing something so I told her it was still quiet time. She didn't care for that at all and continued grumbling and being mad so I just let her be. I looked over at her a few minutes later and this is how I found her! I guess she wasn't done napping after all.

Happy First Birthday, Andrew!

Andrew turned one today! Last night (and today), we watched his

video from when he was born and I realized just how quickly the last year has flown by. Both sets of grandparents and aunties were on hand to help us celebrate. Andrew showed some interest in opening his presents, but as soon as he got the whiffle ball, he was too distracted by it to continue. Aside from the ball, he did get a lot of other nice things-clothes, picture frame, stuffed animal (a very soft camel), music cube, driving wheel, lawn mower and book. Sophia even managed to get a few gifts as well-good idea, grandmas! Andrew, who eats anything and everything, wasn't a big fan of his birthday cake. This was a surprise. At least he didn't cry like his sister did on her first birthday. When we put the cake in front of him, he put his head down (no hands) and took a bite but just made a funny face. I don't think he actually ate any of it. We had a great day celebrating with him and can't wait to watch all the changes he goes through over the next year. Just don't grow up too quickly, Andrew!

Sophia had a blast picking out Erik's Father's Day card this year. She loves Scooby Doo right now (thanks to grandma and grandpa) and a day doesn't go by where we don't either watch a Scooby Doo episode and/or read a Scooby Doo book. So, when it came time to buy Erik's card, she found the perfect one-Scooby Doo, of course! She had everyone in the store laughing as she repeatedly opened the card to hear Scooby Doo laugh and say "You're awesome."


One more week left of soccer! Last week, Sophia received her medal. We are very proud of her for playing every week!

Sophia's new favorite phrase seems to be, "I don't like people wearing (insert color) shirts. She will even personalize the statement to what you are wearing that day. She also likes to say that you are adorkable. She thinks she's so clever!





It's hard to believe this little guy will turn one in less than two weeks. He is crawling all over the place, giggles like crazy when you tickle him and has a smile that lights up the entire room! He also eats more than his sister at just about every meal.

Soccer Superstar

Sophia played in her first soccer game a week ago. We were a little nervous about how it would turn out. During practice, she kept running back to the sidelines to her entourage of cheerleaders, but once the game started, you couldn't get her off the field. She had a smile on her face the entire time and quickly became the star player! She kicked the ball all the way down the field and scored multiple times while her fellow teammates hung back in the wings. When she needed a break from the action, she just plopped right down on the field. Maybe she'll be the next Mia Hamm! Check out the link for lots of action shots, courtesy of her Uncle Matt.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcuWrhszZsWTl4&emid=sharshar&linkid=link2

Twins Game

What a busy weekend we had! On Friday, Sophia went on her very first roller coaster with her grandma. She spent most of the ride with her head buried into grandma's lap, but she did wave to us each time she went by and said it was fun.

Sophia was supposed to play in her first soccer game on Saturday. She was so excited-when she got up that morning, she greeted us in bed, with her jersey in hand. Unfortunately, the city decided to spray the fields and they weren't ready to play on. When we had to break the news to her, she cried-poor little girl!

On Mother's Day, we all did the Race for the Cure in the morning. Although there was a chance for rain, it turned out to be sunny (and windy, but I'll take that over the rain). That evening we all went to the Twins game. Andrew had been once before, but this was Sophia's first time. She looked forward to this all day. In fact, when she got up from her nap, the first thing she said was, "Is it time to go to the baseball game?" She got to ride the light rail down to the game-she loves trains so she was pretty excited about this (and quite disappointed that we didn't ride home again). I think she was a little in awe of the Metrodome. I don't think she watched much of the game (shortly after the game started, she said, "This is not a fun game," but she did enjoy some dippin' dots ice cream and said her favorite part was cheering. Andrew did great-he spent the majority of his time flirting with the people behind us.

What a cutie!

Please check out this link for some pictures Roz took of Andrew today!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZM3DNmzbMWLJ4A&emid=sharview&linkid=link4

Ten Months Old

Andrew is 10 months old today! Now that he's figured out how to crawl, there's no stopping him-he's all over the place. He loves to crawl out into the kitchen or hallway. As soon as we bring him back to the living room, he makes his way right back out there. He is eating a lot more of what we do, which I'm sure is a nice change from pureed baby food. Spaghetti was a hit and he loves deli roasted chicken.

Sophia had a fun-filled weekend. To get out of the house (yes, it was once again cold here in Minnesota), we went to the Mall of America so she could go on some rides. She went on the ferris wheel (twice) for the first time, the merry-go-round (which terrified her last summer) amongst others. She also got a new princess coloring set, princess socks and nail polish (she is quite the little girl). The socks, from the $1 bin at Target, were a huge hit-it doesn't take much to make her happy. When she got out of bed this morning, I heard her drawer open immediately. She then paraded into our room with her clothes for the day, which of course included those beloved socks!

Ice Skating

Today we took Sophia ice skating for the first time. Her grandma bought her a pair of skates and we hadn't yet tried them out. Sophia has been very excited to try it, but we weren't sure how long she would last at the rink. She absolutely loved it and she skated for an hour! She let Erik race her around on the ice and also wanted to try it all by herself. I think Erik was more tired by the end of our time there-looking at the photos, you can probably guess why it wasn't the best activity for his back. The smile on her face made it all worth it though!

It's Official!

Andrew has decided he's ready to branch out from rolling and turning in circles. He's now our little inchworm!

April Showers

Shorts, umbrellas and winter jackets-pretty much sums up the weather lately. With temperatures in the 60s on Saturday, we (along with everyone else) went to the zoo. Yesterday the rain arrived. Sophia made the most of it, putting her raincoat and splashing around in the puddles. Today it's cold again and we even saw snowflakes this morning. We are more than ready for the warm weather to make its return to Minnesota.

Andrew is getting closer and closer to crawling each day. I think we will be doing some baby proofing in the not so distant future. Our plant has already fallen victim to his rolls and turns. I have a feeling that once he starts crawling, there will be no stopping him!

Sophia is making visits to our room on a nightly basis now. Sometimes I crawl into bed with her so we can both get some sleep, or least try to. It's not easy when you are sharing a twin bed with a 3-year old who tosses and turns all night, says you are squishing her and grinds her teeth constantly.

Nine Months (almost)

Today we had Andrew's nine-month appointment. He's doing great! He's still on the small side, weighing 17 lbs. 8 oz. (5-10 percentile) and 28 inches long (50 percentile). I discovered a new tooth coming in today as well (his, not mine)! Andrew is becoming more vocal and now says mama!

Our little Sophia is still as crazy as ever. Apparently she now has two high school friends. One is named Jenny (wonder where she came up with that
name). She can't tell you the name of the other one because she hasn't met her yet.

Both kids are now over being sick, except for colds. Unfortunately, they managed to pass whatever it is they had on to their dad, grandma, grandpa and two aunts!

Annual Easter Bunny Visit

Today we made our annual visit to Kowalskis to see the Easter Bunny. Last year the only way to get Sophia to sit on his lap was to bribe her-we told her she couldn't have the treat until after we took her picture. This year, we didn't bribe her, and as a result, she didn't sit on his lap (she still got two bags of goodies, though). On the other hand, Andrew's first visit to the Easter Bunny was a success and he had no problem hanging out with the big bunny.

Sophia is sick right now with an upset tummy. You'd never guess it by the energy she has, though.

Happy Leap Day!

As I write this, both kids are sleeping soundly, although that could change at any moment. Sophia has not wanted to take her naps lately, even though she still needs them. Today, however, she went down relatively quickly after we read a new Angelina Ballerina book (one of her favorites right now). She's now camped out in her sleeping bag (a favorite Christmas present from grandma and grandpa) on her bedroom floor. This week Sophia finished up her second session of gymnastics and has now graduated to the three-year old class. This means that I don't get to accompany her anymore, which makes me a little sad as I really enjoy that time with her. However, she is pretty excited about it just being her, the others kids and the teacher. She told me not to worry though because she promises that she'll run out and give me a big hug and kiss afterward! Sophia is learning her letters. She can identify A. B, C, H, I, K, L, O, P, Q, R, S, T, X and knows the sounds of some of them. She also does a great rendition of the ABCs, leaving out just J and some of the ending letters.

Yesterday, Andrew turned 8 months old! His top teeth have pushed through now and have led to quite a bit of fussiness. I guess I can't blame him when I see how swollen his gums are-poor guy. No crawling yet...just scoots and rolls.

Last night Sophia read to Andrew. She really is a very good big sister. I can also see how the two of them might be partners in crime someday too, though. Sophia was doing a VERY high-pitched squeal over and over again. I kept asking her to stop and in the meantime, Andrew decided it was kind of funny and started laughing at her. Then I was torn between having her stop and listening to him giggle and watching the interaction between them.

When Sophia says goodbye (or goodnight) to me, she always gives me a hug and kiss and tells me she loves me. Then she asks me to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything and frequently says "Goodbye-I love you!" several times to make sure I've heard her. Last night, I was gone at my students' music program and Sophia was in tears because she didn't think she had given me a hug and kiss. Later on, she told Erik, "I'm not crying anymore but I'm still sad and I want you to know I'm not happy about this."

Right now Sophia is fascinated with road signs. When we are in the car, she asks me what every sign means. She also is quick to point out the ones she knows (deer, pedestrians, curves).

I think Andrew is getting his bottom teeth in as well. He is getting closer to crawling, although I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. A few times now, I've layed him down in his crib and when I've gone back to check on him a little while later, he's turned himself so his head is at the other end. Today he turned himself around in a complete circle!

It's No Fun Being Sick!

Andrew and Sophia are both a little under the weather (and their mom and dad are feeling a little sleep deprived as a result). We took Andrew in on Monday, only to find out that he has a double ear infection! Hopefully he doesn't take after his sister, who seemed to get one ear infection after another. Sophia is also fighting a cold and was up quite a bit last night too. In other news, Andrew's top teeth are getting ready to come through any day now. Poor kid-two ear infections and two teeth coming in-that can't feel very good!

Two Peas in a Pod

It's been awhile since I've posted something. Hopefully these pictures are worth the wait. There are always so many to choose from. Onto what's new in Sophia and Andrew's world.
Andrew-He still just has the two teeth, although we are waiting for his top ones to come through at any time now. He is very happy to be dining on fruits, veggies and oatmeal/rice cereal now-a nice change from the all milk diet. At 7 months, he can now sit up on his own. Sophia was close to crawling when she was this age but Andrew is taking the more laid back
approach, which is fine with us. He's growing up too fast the way it is! He
is becoming more interested in toys, loves music and dancing and can't get enough of his big sister. In fact, the other night we were driving home and Sophia was being goofy and talking rather loudly. I was trying to get her to calm down, but Andrew reacted to her with one giggle after another. How could I ask her to stop after that? That's one thing I never tire of-Sophia and Andrew's laughs.

Sophia-At 3, she is as energetic as ever. We signed her up for swimming lessons. Week 1 went just fine, week 2 she cried the whole time and week 3 she wouldn't even get in the water. Needless to say, there wasn't a week 4. She is still doing gymnastics though and really seems to like that. She is into princesses now and loves to dress up and run around in her fancy shoes, holding her wand. She also loves to play school with her Little People. She teaches them numbers (she uses the Sudoku book) and once even told me to go away and not bother her because she was teaching and it wasn't a school for adults.