Mystic, CT

Okay, so here is the story. We are regular listeners of our classical radio station. They often give out prizes and my husband is very faithful at entering our names into drawings and things. Several months ago, I got a surprising call telling me our names had been selected for the Mystic, CT get-a-way prize. I was very surprised taking the call, because first of all, I had no idea Mystic, CT even existed, and secondly I didn't know we had entered our names to get the prize. When the prize came in the mail I was stunned.
A two night hotel stay
Gift certificate to a restaurant
Tickets to the aquarium
Gift certificate for the aquarium cafe
Tickets to the museum
Tickets for a carriage ride
All of these came in the mail with a complimentary classical CD.

Okay, now for our weekend. The town of Mystic is a typical quaint New England town. We'll enjoy going back in warmer weather. There was lots to do, but because of the cold we didn't stay outside for long periods of time. Here are some pictures of the old town.



We had a very relaxing time. We ate super well. We were able to eat both Thursday and Friday nights at the restaurant with the gift certificate we had. Stefan loved the king size bed in the hotel. He thought it was all for him, but have no fear he actually slept in the bathroom! The pack-n-play just fit!

The aquarium was very nice and we had a blast. It was so much fun introducing Stefan to the world of sea life. The aquarium itself was not that big but it did have a lot of nice extras. It was definitely a great place for kids. The outdoor exhibit was great. Even though it was cold, it was fun meandering through the "caves" and rocks as we visited the whales, dolphins, and penguins outside. Stefan loved the inside. He tried desperately to kiss the fish at times! We really enjoyed watching a sea lion show as well. They are quite the creatures. Pretty fascinating. The only thing we didn't get to do was the Deep Sea 3D show. They wouldn't let Stefan in!

We had a great time. We'll be going back this summer for a day trip to enjoy the carriage ride and museum. Didn't get it all in this time!

The artist himself

This was taken later on in the day yesterday when he was back at the drawing table to do some touch up work.

The 1st piece of artwork

Recently, Stefan has been showing an interest in pens, pencils, and paper so I thought maybe he was ready to try some crayons. We bought him some crayons (I love that they make them triangular so that they don't roll off the table!) and had our very first drawing time. I was too excited introducing him to it that I didn't take a picture, but he had the cutest look when he realized he was making those marks on the page! Atleast I have documented the very first piece of art!

Stefan's 1 year pictures

Playing in the snow

Today, Stefan and I went over to the Johnson's to play in the snow. They live just up the street and "happen" to have a sled! Angie and Katie were very nice and played with Stefan. Stefan loved it at first, but then got a little cold so we hurried back inside! When I first put the snowsuit and boots on he had trouble walking, but he eventually got the hang of it. He looked pretty funny all bundled up though!

Our morning

My morning



Brian's morning

Look who's eating by himself!

Another first today. Stefan ate all but the last 3 or 4 bites of his yogurt today BY HIMSELF!!! As you can tell by the pictures, he was very proud of himself.

Mission accomplished--albeit a little messy!

How SWEET!

This is the hug I got when we came home from the conference. SO precious. We were both happy to see each other!

Stefan's 1st haircut

We went to Jelly Beans, a hair salon for children, to get Stefan's first haircut. They have a deal that for a baby's very first haircut it is only a PENNY!!! Pretty good deal, in my opinion! They were SO good with children. Stefan was not bothered at all by getting it cut and I am amazed that they were able to get such a nice cut despite all his moving! The hairdresser let him "play" with the clippers before she used it which was a great idea. That and the toys and bright colors all made it a fun experience. He got a certificate for "Baby's First Haircut" with his hair attached and a balloon with jelly beans (which he did NOT eat!) in honor of the occasion. Since I didn't know of a place in MA that did something like this we decided to take advantage of the place while we were down here. Our little guy looks a little older now, but we love the cut!

Here's a better view of the cut.

Shots of Stefan's Birthday Party

More visiting!

We all had a great time over at Tim and Ruth's the other night. Stefan loved playing with Micaiah, Miriam, and Mirabel! I got to hear Micaiah read--he is doing really well--and Stefan loved his new little chair he got from them!

Enjoying a nice visit with Great Grandma Bixby

We got spoiled again!!!

Thursday night we had our Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Hanson and Uncle Erik. Stefan got lots of new toys. The police car he got has definitely been a favorite. That one is especially appropriate since Grandpa used to be a police officer! He really enjoyed playing cars with Uncle Erik and throwing the ball to Grandpa and Grandma! Thanks Mom and Dad for spoiling us.

Shots of our time in Rockford, IL.

Well, we got in a lot of visiting despite the flu bug that went around to nearly everyone! We had a great time! Dan and Brenda were able to come down from MN, and Donna flew up from SC so that we could all spend time together. Thanks Bob and Jennie for hosting us! We were sorry that Tim and Ruth were not able to be with us, but we are enjoying visiting with them down here in SC. We had the traditional meat fondue Christmas Eve dinner ( a few days late because of sickness, but just as good!), stockings that were provided by Grandpa and Grandma in France, a birthday party for Stefan, and lots of fun! We could not believe how much our neices and nephews had grown. Elise is taller than me...wow! Stefan really had fun playing with all his cousins. He and Corban really hit it off ( Corban is almost exactly one year older).

Visiting the Hanson's in Wisconsin

We are currently in SC and have had little time to keep up the blog. While in the Mid West for Christmas, we were able to visit (and meet!) some of the Hanson family in Wisconsin. We were so glad to see them all and had a really nice time visiting. We enjoyed introducing Stefan to his Great Grandparents.

With Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Hanson!

Along with Brian's grandparents we got to visit with his Uncle John (the farmer!), Aunt Lois (Stefan is having some reading time with her--thanks for the books Aunt Lois!), and Aunt Sharon. We also got to see his cousins Brent and Sherry in WI, and then we stopped by and saw his cousin Kristi (middle right) in IL on our way down South. Brian was so glad to see everyone again and I enjoyed meeting everyone. I had only previously met Grandpa and Grandma! Thanks for a great visit, Everyone!!!