The Hanson Crew

We enjoyed the weekend with friends in Wichita, KS.  We met Jaime and Micah at the zoo, which was pleasantly awesome.  The animals are very close to you. We highly recommend it! Then we saw their new apartment and went to a Japanese Steakhouse.  It was great too!  The kids loved watching the cook so close and loved the garlic fried rice.  Then we played video games and Rook at their house.  The next day we went to their new church and out to lunch.  It was a nice mini-family vacation!

Jonathan came home from school today with this in his lunchbox.  He decided to eat the M&Ms and not the yogurt!  You can tell we share the same birthday and think alike!

Joshua and Ashlyn start their homeschool co-op today at Engaged in Life Academy.  We are very impressed with all they offer for $450/semester.  They will have hands on Science class using Apologia curriculum, which we were switching to this year also.  They will have a Spanish class and a Math lab where they can bring their Math homework and get help for from a Math teacher.  They will have a Character class and a Projects class where they will learn about computer research, speaking, and cooperative skills on teamwork projects.  My favorite class is a Writing class they will take.  They will cover so much writing that I don't think I will have to add much to my lessons because of the EIL coop. We'll keep you posted as we go through the first semester...

Bear is done healing from her surgery and ready to run and play.  This is an awesome dog park!  She loved to run around with other dogs her size.  I think she will learn great social skills here!

I was able to go with my two good friends Lisa and Jennie this year to Women of Faith here in KC.  My best friend Lisa was unable to go and we missed her.  The theme was "Survival to Revival"  It was really good.  My favorite parts were Anita Renfroe and the Matthew West concert.

Bear is slowly healing from her surgery.  She was spayed and was shaved quite a bit on her tummy.  We will be rubbing her tummy more this week and are excited to get that horrible head thing off quickly.

Our other two are homeschooling this year with their favorite teacher.  I thought I would capture the first day of school in front of school.  Ashlyn is in 8th grade and Joshua is in 5th.  We are going to join a new co-op this year that will meet on Tues and Thurs from 8:30 to 2:30 called Engaged in Life Academy.  We are excited to meet new friends and learn Spanish, Science, Writing, Projects, and Character classes away from home as well.

John and I celebrate 16 years of marriage today.  It's hard to believe it has been that long already.  We celebrated with a couple massages together.  It was relaxing and a great gift.  He also surprised me with these 16 flowers at work.

We officially have a 2nd grader and 4th grader at Line Creek!  They still love the bus, and I love the bus stop being in my driveway.  Unfortunately, the dog does not like either!  She barks loudly minutes before the bus pulls up and minutes after it drives away.  I am not sure she will ever understand that the bus is not eating the boys up!

I organized the entryway for backpacks and shoes.  I have noticed all summer as neighborhood kids come and go through our house a bench was necessary by the door.  They often take their shoes off and on right here on the floor.  Now they can sit and store their shoes under the bench.  Last year we piled our backpacks by the door after school.  I decided to paint an extra 2x4 in the garage and add some hooks there.  We can also use it as a coat rack when we have visitors over :)  I'm getting excited for the new school year already, can you tell?

The Hot Air Balloon Festival came to KC this summer at the KC Speedway.  Instead of buying tickets, we sat across the street and watched them from afar.  They were not as close together as I remembered them being in New Mexico as a child, but it was still neat for the kids.  We went to get some KC BBQ after the show.  It was a nice family evening at the Legends.

Our kids all have savings accounts at Clay County Savings Bank here in KC and tonight they sponsored a free roller skating party for all account holders.  The kids and I went for a free dinner, snacks, and skating.  By the end of the night, Joshua and Caleb really felt more confident on skates.  Jonathan decided after about an hour to just enjoy the snack table the rest of the time!

We made a garden this summer with cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, and strawberries.  The tomatoes are the only plant that did really well. We planted both Roma and regular tomatoes.  When they were done, we ended up with a huge amount.  Then, we realized that many of us don't like eating tomatoes plain.  So Joshua decided to make homemade salsa.  It was really good!

We enjoyed the day with our friends the Mosley's.  We went to a new park in Lee's Summit that had a huge climbing structure, a zip line, and an awesome skateboarding area. The kids skateboarded for a little while and then decided to practice being an American Ninja Warrior.  They climbed the "Warped Wall" over and over!