cheryl

Cheryl is a Consulting Scientist at Wilder

Research, a non-profit applied social research

firm in Saint Paul, MN.

Email Cheryl

Scott is a marketing engineer at Rosemount, where he works in a

division that designs

and manufactures temperature products.

Email Scott

Cheryl and Scott

got married in 2005. In

April 2006, they

welcomed Devon to

the family.

We also live with three

animals...

Duke,

Murphy,

and Wendell.

For several years now, I have been doing a lot of scrapbooking. The main purpose was to create a gift for my family. I'm never sure however, how many people are interested in specific pages. I've decided to use this site as a way of sharing. The links below will take you to the page archives - I'll also announce when new pages are posted.

If you would like a page printed , you have two options. First, please feel free to download and print anything you'd like on your own - they will look better if you open and size them in a program such as Photoshop and print them with a pretty good printer and quality photo paper. Second, if you prefer, you can just let me know that you're interested in a copy and I'd be more than happy to do the printing.

New pages

Coming soon

Scrapbook archives

Family scrapbook

This is the main scrapbook that I started about 10 years ago. Many pages are ones that I made to share with my family, others I made for my book and are probably not of general interest. Because this one has the most pages, I've split it up by years.

2005+

Part baby book, part scrapbook chronicling the life and adventures of Devon.

Darienne's wedding, 2001

This is the scrapbook that Megan and I made as a gift to Darienne - pages are a non-standard size to fit the book that we bought for her

A celebration of Hazel

This book celebrates the life of Hazel Pratt, my grandmother. Some of it was a gift we gave to her in 1999. After her death in 2003, I added more pages and made copies as a gift to her family. Lea, Darienne, and Megan, and all contributed pages.

The Hosley girls go to Mexico, 2003

Megan and I made this scrapbook following the first vacation that we took together. This one also has non-standard sized pages.

July 3, 2008

Back from Palm Springs!

We're back from our desert vacation, and we had a great time. It was definitely on the warm side, as Devon learned about 100+ temperatures for the first time. A nice breeze, some shade, and lots of time in the swimming pool took the edge off of the heat.

Devon enjoyed a number of Palm Springs outings, as noted by Darienne. The airplane museum was a strong favorite, along with learning about dinosaurs.

Swimming was another favorite activity...Devon couldn't get enough time in the water, and enjoyed bouncing back and forth between the little pool, the big pool, the water slide, and the fountain area. Many thanks to everyone who took him down the slide - he's still talking about how much fun he had on the water slide and wanting to know when he can go again.

The definite highlight for Devon was spending time with his family. It was great to see everyone and Devon enjoyed reading books with Grandma, swimming with Aunt Carol, drumming with Uncle David, playing games with Uncle Doug and Aunt Darienne, and listening to Bob's music. The most fun, however, was definitely cousins, cousins, cousins. Devon loved having a chance to play with Calvin and Finn. He's had a strong long-distance relationship with them, characterized by lots of time online looking at their pictures and videos. It was great having a chance to see them, and there was much running, hugging, and squealing.

Here are just a few photos from the week:

July 27, 2008

Latest Ringo news

This week, Scott and I went for another ultrasound to see how Ringo's cooking up. All is well. The baby is measuring right where it should be and seems to have all of the right parts. It's pretty active and I have been feeling thumpy kicks for the last week or two. The photo on the right was one of our favorites...the baby was sucking its thumb and we could clearly see its little tongue working away. Gender is still unknown, however. The ultrasound technician thought that she might have seen a penis, but the baby's legs were tucked up and she wasn't sure. There were a few other parts that she didn't see due to its position, so we'll go back in another month to try again.

A few other random notes from Devon...Next week, he finishes his first round of swimming lessons...he's in the beginning class, which focuses entirely on water comfort and fun. He's been having a great time and looks forward to going all week long. He's obsessed with sharks at the moment, and can identify several different species. He frequently requests trips to the zoo or aquarium to see sharks. He is working on potty training and has had a few successes...mostly motivated by the chance of earning a piece of candy. He's become extremely talkative...chatting almost constantly. In the next few weeks, we're hoping to start getting his new "big boy room" ready.

More updates soon...

Boy or girl?

And now...the long-awaited Ringo announcement. We had what should be our final ultrasound yesterday. My clinic likes a thorough anatomy check to reduce the chance of surprises like heart defects or cleft palate. They wanted one more look, since they did not get a good look at the face or kidneys last time. Both were visible this time and checked out just fine. This also gave us one last chance to see about gender, since the tech didn't get a good look last time. She got a better view this time and is pretty darn sure that this one is....(drum roll please)....a girl! We're still absorbing the news, having assumed it was a boy. Of course, we're excited and looking forward to meeting her in a few short months.

People have been asking how Devon is doing in getting ready for the new family addition. So far, so good. Of course, he doesn't understand how significantly his life is going to change or anticipate all the ways the baby will annoy him. For now, he has eagerly accepted the belly bulge into the family. He gives my belly rubs and kisses and likes to tell people that a baby is in there. This morning, he requested that we turn on the computer so that he could see a picture of his baby sister. We had our first baby name brainstorming session this morning - Devon's suggestion: Oscar the Grouch Holm-Hansen.

Coming soon...

There are a number of exciting things happening over the next few weeks, and we'll post photos (hopefully more promptly than we have recently). We're especially looking forward to our upcoming trip to Massachusetts for Megan's wedding. Other things to come include:

A brief visit with Grandma Chris, Grandpa Jerry, Great Grandma Della, and George after we return from Massachusetts.

Devon's move to his new "big boy" room.

The completion of a number of other house projects, including make-overs of the family room, downstairs bathroom, and nursery.

And more!

A fun summer for Devon!

Devon has been having lots of fun this summer - I'm sorry that we haven't had time to highlight more of his adventures here. In recent weeks, he enjoyed accompanying Margaret to "Family farm weekend" at the zoo, visiting the aquarium, climbing in a fire truck at a town parade, and spending lots and lots of time at the playground. Some of his recent developments include:

Letters - He's fascinated with letters, pointing out those that he knows and asking about those that he doesn't recognize. He recognizes many of them and can list words that start with that letter. Favorites include "M" (for mommy, milk, and moo), "O" (for octopus and orange), and "D" (for Daddy and ME!).

Imaginative play - Recent weeks have brought the development of more imaginative play. For example, the backseat cup holder in my car is a "jumbo jet" which he fills with hot wheels cars on their way to adventures. Yesterday, his cars were going to fly on the airplane to the farm for a tractor ride. He is starting to use his play kitchen...though he's not interested in making anything other than coffee. I get a nice cup of imaginary coffee almost every day, which he has thoughtfully sprinkled with pretend sugar and sometimes cinnamon.

Verbal skills - Conversations with Devon have become more complex. While I enjoy knowing more about what he is thinking and feeling, it can also be a bit frightening for me. A recent example - while sitting on a large tractor at the farm: Devon - "Mommy, I'm just going to drive this tractor over there for a minute." Me - "No, you can't drive this tractor...it's for pretending." Devon (looking around the steering wheel): "Oh, there are no keys in this one. (Pointing to another tractor) "Let's see if there are keys in that one."

Some empathy? - Devon has been learning about feelings, and has become better at reporting on his mood (happy, sad, angry, and scared). He's also started asking about other people's moods. When he has trouble figuring out my mood, he'll ask "Mommy, are you happy?" He's also good at offering hugs to people that are sad.

Manners - Manners are a frequent topic in Devon's classroom, and he is working on using good manners and being polite in various situations. When checking out at Target the other day, he said to the cashier: "Hi, I'm Devon Holm-Hansen. What is your name?" Of course a few hours later, he sighed (with exasperation) and said to me "Mommy, you need to stop talking."

Tantrums- And then, there is the "other Devon." While Devon is mostly lots of fun, we're definitely seeing some "terrible two's" thrown in. He has gotten quite good at dramatically throwing himself on the floor in fits of howling - or hitting us - when he is frustrated or angry (which seems to happen an awful lot. We know that this is to be expected, and it's sometimes amusing, but we won't miss it when he outgrows this some day. They do outgrow this someday, right?

September 22, 2008

Our latest travels...

The most fun news from the Holm-Hansens is that we had a great time earlier this month visiting Massachusetts. Megan had a lovely wedding, and we all had a lovely time visiting with family. We have lots of photos...I'm still sorting them, but will post shortly with a recap of our adventures and some favorite pictures. I'm heading out tomorrow to Oregon, for what should be my last trip before Ringo is due...as much as I enjoy traveling, it will be nice to have some time at home to nest before things get even busier!

Visiting with Grandmas

Devon's east coast visit with Grandma Lea was quickly followed by a visit from Grandma Chris and Grandpa Jerry. Even more exciting, Grandma and Grandpa were joined in their travels by Great Grandma Della and her friend George. Their visit was brief - just an overnight on their way home from a week-long cabin stay - but it was great to see them. Devon has only met his great grandmother one time before, when he was only six weeks old. He enjoyed getting to know her more, though he was mostly preoccupied with George's car.

Fall adventures

It's started to look - and feel - like fall here in Minnesota. The weather has been nice, but there's a crispness in the air and the leaves are turning. As a result, our recent weekend adventures have been focused on more autumn-y activities. Recent adventures have included

Devon's last trip of the year to the outdoor swimming pool at the gym

Devon's first trip to the MN State Fair, where he enjoyed playing on countless tractors

Our annual excursion to the orchard, with the hayride emerging as Devon's favorite activity

Here are a few photos...

Thinking ahead to Halloween

One of our weekly rituals is that Devon helps me get groceries every weekend. He is usually pretty good at helping - he's in charge of selecting fruit and grinding coffee. I try to not use of the kid-oriented products at Target as a reward (or bribe) for good behavior. However, on a recent trip he was simply so darn charming and helpful that I ended up taking him down the Halloween aisle to look at costumes. I pulled out several that I thought he'd really like - including a cool dinosaur and a silly monkey. He immediately rejected them in favor of a bumblebee costume...which he wears around the house. A lot. As a side note, Devon remains preoccupied with feelings - and likes to demonstrate his happy, sad, and angry faces. The odd smile highlighted in many of these pictures is his new happy face.

Pig cake

Devon is surprisingly fond of looking through child-oriented cookbooks. A recent favorite is a book of children's birthday cakes, given to me when we were visiting Grandma Lea. He likes to flip through and look at all the pictures. Sunday morning, he brought the book over to me and said "let's make a pig cake." So we did. Devon helped do all of the mixing and stirring...he also had fun with the decorating. He was SO proud of his work! It was fun for me to see how much he enjoyed the process...and to hear the random announcements throughout the day that "I made a pig cake!" Of course, he also enjoyed eating it...and sharing it with Mommy and Daddy.

October 3, 2008

Growing up fast

Devon seems older every day. In the last few weeks, his interactions with us have seemed more complex. He's getting better and better at articulating his thoughts and his feelings. In the last week, there have been a few notable "firsts" for him.

First bad dream -I'm sure that dreaming is not actually new for him. However in the past week, he has had his first two that he was able to

describe. Both were bad dreams, unfortunately. One morning last week, I found him sitting in his bed with a thoughtful look on his face. When he saw me, he said "Mommy, I had a bad dream." When I asked him what happened, he said: "I was in the water and a shark chomped me and I cried. He ate me up. He wasn't a nice shark, he was a very naughty shark." His reaction surprised me. He wasn't emotional or scared - he just seemed...interested, understanding that it wasn't real and that he was safe. His second dream was this week. This one seemed harder for him. He woke up crying and asking to sleep in bed with us. He said that a green monster bit him on the hand, and that there were no monsters in mommy's room. He knew it was a dream, but it seemed to scare him. He's talked about both dreams quite a bit during his waking hours...they seem to have really stuck with him.

First lie - One of the nice things about Devon at this age is that he is amazingly honest. He's a great reporter of her own behavior, both good and bad. However, yesterday on the way to school, we had this exchange. Me, eyeing a large pile of crumbs in my car: "Devon, what happened all over the backseat?" Devon: "Those are cracker crumbs." Me: "How did cracker crumbs get all over?" Devon (with a wide-eyed innocent look): "My baby sister made that big mess."

First "jokes" - Another new thing is that Devon is trying hard to be funny. Of course, as a two-year old, he has his own conception of humor. The other day, as we were singing "wheels on the bus," he threw out: "the wheels on the bus go - there's a big whale over there" (followed by hysterical laughter). After he caught his breath, he said: "I am so funny!"

October 14, 2008

Passing time while Daddy is away

Devon and I are spending a week on our own while Scott is traveling for work. Devon certainly misses his Daddy, and we are spending a lot of time talking about how Daddy and going to pick him up from the airport on Friday. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep him busy doing projects with me. He's helped me with some projects related to his upcoming move to the "big boy room" (hopefully this weekend).

One of his favorite activities so far was making a jack-o-lantern. He helped scoop out the middle and plan the face ("it should be a happy pumpkin, not a scary one").

Plymouth on Parade

Earlier this month, we took Devon on our annual outing to "Plymouth on Parade", a small town celebration. This year's celebration was extra-hyped up by the town, as we celebrate being named Money Magazine's best small city (insert some eye rolling here). Last year's festival was notable for Devon's first pony ride, and he was looking forward to having another ride this year. I was a bit disappointed... this year, they had the ponies tethered together in a circle (which always makes me feel sad for the ponies). Last year, they led the ponies around an open field. Regardless, Devon had fun. He also enjoyed the petting zoo, especially the bunnies. He talked at length about how bunnies are soft ("not prickly").

November 3, 2008

Devon's Halloween adventures

While technically this was Devon's third Halloween, this was the first one that he really enjoyed. He was very excited to wake up on Halloween. He got to wear his costume to school, where they had a little party. He was proud to be one of the classroom contributors of sugar cookies for the party. After school, we went to the town Halloween party at the community center.

He had a great time at the party. They had lots of games for the younger kids...and he enjoyed a bean bag toss, some mini-golf, and a wrecking ball game. He won valuable prizes, like pencils and stickers and cool tiger glasses. He then discovered the section of the party for the older kids...which was complete with a half-dozen inflatables. He spent the rest of the party in the bounce house. After the party, we went trick-or-treating at the homes of three neighbors. He did well...other than wanting to go home after the first house so that he could eat his candy. He had so much fun that I was worried that he'd be disappointed to see Halloween come to an end. Interestingly, since then he's been preoccupied with Christmas.

A new big-boy room

For the last month or two, we have been working on Devon's new "big boy room." We'll be needing his room when the baby comes, and wanted to get him transitioned out in advance. He's been closely involved throughout the process. He selected his own paint colors and bedspread. He also selected the theme - I thought that he'd be interested in a transportation-oriented room. When I showed him a few possible comforters, he looked at them thoughtfully and said "No. I think I'd like fish instead." He stuck with his choice over time...and expanded his "big boy room wish list" to include "sharks and whales and fish and sting rays." Here's the result:

The room is just about complete. We still have to hang some curtains and pictures. When I asked what he wanted to hang on the walls, he requested pictures of his family. He helped me paint frames with colors matching the mural...and selected pictures of the family to hang up.

He's spent two nights in his new bed now and seems to love it. He feels like quite the big shot in his bed. Several times a day, he tells me "I'm not a toddler anymore. I'm a very big boy."