Sweet Home Hansons

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Raccoon Mountain Caverns

Matt is totally the fun parent. He's the planner and the adventurer and without him, I'm pretty sure we'd be doing a whole lot of watching the grass grow under our feet. Spelunking...who thinks to drive to Chatanooga to take the kids spelunking?? Matt does! When they came home the first thing Vivian said was, "that was the best thing I've ever done. Ever. In my life." Chalk up another win for Matt!

Saturday they explored Chatanooga

Tennessee Aquarium

Sunday was the highlight of the trip....

Raccoon Mountain Caverns

Filthy and HAPPY!

Monday, February 18, 2019

Hanson Kid Updates

I don't know why I have had a hard time regularly blogging these last few months! I start posts in my head and then they fly, fly away and then it's been days or weeks and then and then and then. Maybe that's the season of life right now, or maybe it's just laziness. I can say I'll be better but who knows if that's really true. Anyhow, life is buzzing along and the kids are all doing their thing...

Vivian started the spring session of Girls on the Run last week and ended her basketball season tonight. They lost the game by three but had an amazing rally from 14 behind. I'm super proud of the whole team! After the game I told Viv that I had a really fun season hanging out with her, but I probably would never volunteer to coach basketball again. She said, "c'mon Mom. You brought the smiles, the hugs and the support". Dang, that girl really knows how to pour it on thick!

Beansie is doing pretty great right now. I haven't updated "The Short Story" posts mainly because I feel like we're not even in that bubble anymore. Last time Hen was at the endocrinologist's office he measured at 5'6", but I know he's grown even more since then. And yes, the secretary did find him again in the waiting room to announce, "there he is! My favorite Henry PABLO!". The biggest change in Hen though has been his pure self motivation for working out. Right after we got back from Christmas vacation he decided to try CrossFit with me and he's been hooked ever since. He's going 5-6 times a week, doesn't like to skip a day, tracks his nutrition and is getting stronger by the day. Even in CrossFit though, he's still the kind, well mannered Henry Bean we know and love. He's already put in his application for Collegiate High School in Florida. Now we wait until the first week of March to find out if he made round one of acceptance, or if there were too many applicants that it has to go to a lottery system. Fingers crossed that there's no lottery and he's an automatic admission!

Moose is chugging right along too. He's been offered a summer internship with Christ in the City for their Summer of Service program. This semester at school will be more challenging than last, especially with him being in-season now. He seems to be managing his time really well though, keeping his grades up and enjoying college life in general. Thank goodness after the emotional rollercoaster he, and let's face it, WE were on last semester. Moose's lax season opened up this past Saturday and even though the team took a tough, one point loss in their home opener, he was a first line middie and saw the field a ton. He was the first to score - he started the season off for the Warriors!

Sean and Sullivan surprised Maxwell and made it to the game...

here's Sully holding up a "one" for first goal of the game!

So, that's it I suppose. All is good in our little corner of the world!

Monday, February 11, 2019

Gritty Middie

I got this text from Maxwell a few days ago...

I'm kind of glad he warned me because he wasn't kidding....

Gritty, it is. I absolutely love that he listed Prattville, AL as his hometown. He's the only player on the team whose hometown is someplace other than Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey or Canada AND he's the only player who had to list the state that his high school was in. He may be a college freshman but he's still a military kid at heart!

Let's go Warriors!!!

#dos

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Decades Day

Last Friday was “Decades Day” at Viv’s school. The fifth grade put on a really great musical presentation and Viv even had a speaking part. Good thing that her school next year has a drama program because she thinks she's been bitten by the drama bug!

Monday, January 28, 2019

Weather Day

School is canceled for Tuesday and Alabama seems to have closed early in anticipation of tomorrow's "weather event". Yup. No school, no anything because it might freeze overnight or we might get a flurry or two.

Apparently, southerners don't play around when it comes to two things...football and weather days.

Vivian's reaction to being told school is canceled...

Maxwell's reaction to living through his first Pennsylvania winter...

I don't have the heart to tell him we have a "weather day" tomorrow!

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Ballers

I have no idea what possessed me to do this, but I volunteered to assistant coach Vivian's basketball team. I mean, for real...what in the world was I thinking?! I have found myself in plenty of situations where I've been out of my league, but for the most part, I've been able to fake it 'till I make it.

Well, not this time.

There's no faking it was 10 tween basketball players. The first practice someone tossed me the ball and I flinched and took a direct hit to the chest. Day 1 and my cover was totally blown. Thank God there's a good head coach (who I'm friends with) and another assistant (also a friend) that has actually played basketball before, not just watched it on TV. We decided early on that I would bring the smiles and the high fives and leave the basketball'ing to everyone else.

UAB for the win!

19-4

Monday, January 21, 2019

Happy New Year, Y'all

A fourteen hour drive to Texas...a reunion with our Kollweiler village family...an Iowa State playoff football game...and best of all, celebrating the New Year with our Garcia family in Rockport...

Here's to 2019!