Happy Holidays!

We hope that all of our family and friends celebrated a wonderful holiday season and that you all have a very Happy New Year! We hope that 2013 brings you lots of joy, love and happiness.

 Zoe will be 13 years old in March and she's been a part of our family for 8 years now. She's beginning to lose her hearing, but otherwise, she's in great shape and has lots of puppy-like energy.

Sophie is 4 1/2 years old and attends preschool three days a week, in addition to daycare. She will start Kindergarten next Fall. Sophie's best stuffed animal pal is Lotso Bear, from Toy Story 3. She got him from Disney Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and they've been inseparable since. Sophie loves to swim, do gymnastics, color & paint and watch movies.

Jack is 2 1/2 years old and he loves pirates, tractors, trucks and trailers. He enjoys helping Dad with projects around the house like picking up leaves in the Fall, hanging up Christmas lights on the house and fixing things. Jack will start preschool next Fall. Jack is a cuddler and is always willing to cozy on the couch under a blanket and give out hugs and kisses.

One highlight of 2012 was our month-long trip to Malaysia and Thailand. We ate tasty Thai, Chinese, Indian & Malay food, visited with friends and family and enjoyed lots of swimming, playing and time in the sun.

The Hanson Family 2012 Christmas picture at Steve & Bunny's house.

Jack and Sophie, all dressed up on Christmas Eve, in front of the Christmas tree at Uncle Derek's house.

Our visit with Santa Claus at the Mall of America.

Our trip to Malaysia & Thailand

It's been a busy couple of months for us here in the Hanson household. In mid-September, we left on a month-long trip to Malaysia and Thailand. We left on our journey and flew to Chicago and then to Hong Kong, before landing in Kuala Lumpur, 30 hours later. Our flights back took us through Tokyo and Dallas. Sophie and Jack did very well on the plane and I think it's now safe to call them seasoned world travelers. They both enjoyed watching movies on the plane, exploring children's play areas at the airports, eating plane food and playing with the giveaway toys from the airlines (the international airlines, of course). We checked in our two big bags and two car seats and hoped for the best. Luckily, everything made it there and back.

In Kuala Lumpur, the kids spent time with my parents, sister and brother (who came to visit for a few days from Perth, Australia). They got to meet some members of my extended family, including their other great grandma. We visited many tourist attractions in KL including the Aquaria KLCC Aquarium, Petrosains Science Museum, KLCC/Petronas Twin Towers area, the Bird Park and more.

At the end of September, we took a vacation from our vacation and flew to Phuket, Thailand for my friend Gwen's wedding. We stayed at the very fun Sunwing Kamala resort and the wedding was held at the gorgeous Paresa resort, cliff side, at sunset. Sophie and Jack were both in the wedding and enjoyed the experience. The wedding was beautiful. Congratulations to Gwen & Len! In Phuket, the kids enjoyed their time at the pool and the adults enjoyed the beach-side coconut oil massages.

With the my family in Kuala Lumpur.

Eating dim sum with my Dad, Ah Ma (Grandma) and my sister Michelle.

Headed to Gwen & Len's wedding dinner.

Jack at Leanne's wedding photo booth.

 Bryan and the kids at the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park.

The kids spent LOTS of time doing sand art with Auntie Michelle.

A very cool-looking peacock at the Bird Park.

View in Phuket-- gorgeous!

Our resort in Phuket. The kids had so much fun.

Kamala Beach in Phuket.

Happy 4th Birthday to Sophie!

It's been 4 very fun years of watching Sophie grow from a little newborn into a sweet little girl. At her doctor's appointment last week, she measured in at 36.5" and weighs 28 pounds. Both of which are under the 5th percentile. She's creating her own growth curve! Sophie enjoys swimming, gymnastics, watching movies, camping in the backyard and riding her bike.

Last weekend, we celebrated with our friends and family at her birthday party. We had a big bounce house in our backyard and the kids enjoyed jumping for hours.

Another highlight was Sophie's delicious two-tier Disney Princess cake from Jack's Bakery.

Happy 4th Birthday to our little Sophie Lee!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

Here's a picture of the kids all dressed up in their Independence Day gear.

Last weekend, Sophie and I camped out in the backyard. We had a fun time sleeping in the tent, telling each other stories and singing songs before drifting off to sleep.

Jack loved riding on the tractor at the Filo Family Farm.

Sophie and Jack, along with Carter and Cameron, enjoying their dinner outside on a beautiful day.

BWCA Trip

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my recent Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) trip. Jennie and I joined a guided trip that took us through Ely, MN to the Echo Trail, where we started at entry point #14, Little Indian Sioux River (north). We camped on Shell Lake and visited nearby Little Shell, Heritage and Lynx lakes. It was fantastic being out in the wilderness.

June 2012

We've been busy enjoying the warm weather and getting outside. Since school is out for the summer, Sophie attended a half day Abrakadoodle art camp. She was a little weary at first, but then loved it. She's already signed up for another art camp later this summer.

One of the things I love about summer are the art fairs that happen at least a few times a month. We kicked off the art fair season by going to the Edina Art Fair, at 50th and France. I wore one of the kids on my back the entire time, good practice for my upcoming Boundary Waters camping trip.

At the art fair, we stopped at Sweet Retreat to try  some of their delicious cupcakes. Jack loved it!

Here's a picture of Jack's new haircut and his shades.

To celebrate Grandma Linda's birthday, we went strawberry picking!

Here's a picture of us at Nickelodeon Universe. The kids love going on rides.

April & May 2012

It's been a couple of busy months in the Hanson household. We've been playing outside, going to the water park and keeping busy with Spring and Summer activities. For Easter, Bryan and the kids went to Bemidji to celebrate with family. We've had outings to the Minnesota Children's Museum, the Minnesota Zoo and of course, our annual pilgrimage to Omaha for the BRK shareholders meeting. The past week has welcomed a number of new babies into the world, including baby Brecker Nelson and Alice Hanson. Can't wait to meet them!

Jack loves to ride on Daddy's tractor and talks about mowing the lawn every day.

Sophie hanging out with a new "friend".

Brother and sister hugging.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack!

Two years ago, my sweet baby boy Jack Bradley was born. This post is dedicated to him. I love you so much!

Here's a picture from his newborn photo session. Jack was born almost one week past his due date. Jack has always been a happy kid and is very good-natured.

We celebrated his big day with a party at Build-A-Bear Workshop at Ridgedale. It was fun having all of our friends and family over for lunch. Jack made a teddy bear and Sophie made a yellow duck. Our friend Denise also posted about Jack's birthday party here.

A few weeks ago, we took a staycation to the Water Park of America and stayed at the adjoining hotel. The kids had fun playing on the water slides and they especially loved the bunk beds in the hotel room.

The weather has been so nice outside lately. We've spent lots of time outside playing with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, bikes and cars. Jack loves being outside and it's always a challenge to convince him to come inside.

Happy 2nd Birthday to my baby Jack!