FIRSTS

As Aubrey gets older, there are less and less "firsts", so when there is a new first, it's exciting. Like Aubrey's first soccer experience. She had evaluations in which she had to complete 5 stations and show her skills at dribbling, kicking, and running.(We now know what we need to work on!) Practice starts in a couple of weeks and then her first game!

She also had her first day of preschool. She was so excited! She told me that she would have to do "homework" when she got home. Her first day was a success! She was a good girl, learned lots, and made new friends.


We almost had another first of cutting hair! Aubrey came out of her room with a pair of scissors in her hand and asked if she could cut her hair. Boy was I glad she asked before she did, which has been a lesson we're learning lately!

2011 Minnesota Top 10

The best way to summarize my vacation home last summer was with a Top 10 list, and so the tradition has been started... :) To see more pictures, like 250 some, check out: http://hansongirls.shutterfly.com/

10. Birch Trees. I really miss seeing Birch Trees in VA. I love their white bark with black/gray splotches and tiny, silvery green leaves.


9. The Duluth View from the hill side. This was taken near Enger Tower, and EVERY time I see this, I want to cry! On a funnier note, we were soooo worried about Aubrey falling on the rocks, and guess who did instead!?


8. Canal Park. A trip to Duluth just wouldn't be complete without visiting this very touristy spot. It's also great for rock climbing, and where else can you see a rock beach?! :) I also loved doing EVERYTHING with my mom. She's a great companion to share life with!


7. Potato Salad Challenge. So boring of an entree, why not kick it up a notch when serving it!!?? Here are the winners-Griffin, Jen and Isla :)


6. The Bobcat! Grandpa has the best toys, and here's Aubrey testing it out. Check out the cheeser! (I got that word from my cool sister!)


5. One of the best parts of being in Minnesota is my parent's large backyard and all the ROCKS they have to play with. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Aubrey playing with her rocks on the deck, but she loved it. And I loved knowing she was playing outside by herself and was perfectly safe! :)

4. Pike Lake, only this year was with Isla, the cutest niece ever!!! It was so fun watching her play in the water and I cherished being able to see a mini-milestone like this.

3. Spending quality time with Jen and Isla. My niece is so sweet, calm, and loveable. I adored that she bonded to me right away, and would give me the biggest cheesers! And my sister is an AWESOME mom. It was great to bond with Jen now as mothers with sweet daughters!


2. Camping. We had the opportunity to take Aubrey tent camping up the Arrowhead Trail where I grew up camping. I was ecstatic to share a HUGE part of my childhood with Aubrey and the experience was spectacular. She did so well, better than I could have expected because she didn't whine ONCE! It was also fun to spend some quality time with mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins up in the woods. Talk about FFF (forced family fun as Aunt Carole calls it)!!!

1. Just being HOME with the PEOPLE we love in MN, and these are just a few...

My Savior, My God

We were driving to our friend's house yesterday and listening to K-Love, a local Christian station, when all of a sudden, Aubrey asked me to turn this song up and sang along. It made me smile with gratitude to hear her worshiping our savior, our God :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iSVF2XM7yQ

Borrowed Idea

My friend posted a list titled "We Want To..." and it included a list of things she wanted to do with her family. So, I am "borrowing" this idea and have created my own for the last 2 weeks I have off with my charming daughter. Check back to see which we've completed with pictures and to see what we've added :)

1) Fish at Chippokes State Park -done 8/13. This was the best $2 ever spent for entertainment, thanks to my friend's son Matt :)
Here is Aubrey holding her pole like a spear. She said the "real" handle was too fat for her to hold.

Waiting for the bobber to go down.

She caught a 6 and 1/2 inch PERCH. She was so excited!!!

She tied and got a prize for the biggest fish-2 free scoops of ice cream at the Chippokes pool store, to be redeemed at a later date!

2) Ride our bikes together -done 8/23 We were filling up our tires and the car rocked hard. I wasn't sure what it was until later I heard it was an EARTHQUAKE!!!


3) Pick some vegetable ourselves! -done 8/13 We picked the most scrumptious, juicest sweet corn ever. It was so delicious, we ate it right off the stalk without cooking it first!

Finding one...

Got it!

4) Make Blueberry Pie - done 8/12 YUM! except I probably wouldn't use wheat flour next time for the crust. Too earthy:)
5) Tour the Mazes at Norfolk Botanical Gardens - done 8/10 with good friends! :)

Potato Salad Challenge

We were having the extended family over for Burger Thursday. Usually this occurs on a Sunday and we have fabulous burgers! While planning, mom said she was going to make her potato salad. Jen said she really liked her own potato salad and that she was going to make hers. I said, "Heck! I don't have a potato salad recipe I love, but I will make one and we'll have a challenge!"

It was great fun, even Aubrey made her own.

Here are the 3 salads. Potato Salad # 3 was mom's and it was very traditional. Jen's was #2 and had a "kick" to it. Mine was an Italian potato salad thanks to Dawn coming in at #1. Everyone was to take a bite of each salad, vote for their favorite, and place their ballot in the blue cup. The competition was high and everyone was on edge!

Here were the results... Which makes Jen and Griffin the WINNERS!!! (Don't you love how Isla is loving it?)