Category Archives: Hannah

Winding Down

Another school year is winding down and a long summer vacation is looming ahead. That means a few end-of-year events with Vivian and the kids before things come to a close.

On Friday last week, the Royal Rangers had their Council of Achievements, and Aaron got a certificate for the events he’d completed with his little friends over the past year. Then they had some ice cream before heading outside to run around on the playground once last time before the year ended.

It’s been fun to take him every Wednesday to have quality time with other boys down at Spirit Life, and hopefully we’ll take it up again next year when Aaron is old enough for the next level (called Discovery).

Vivian and I have been taking advantage of our last week or two without the kids during to day to go out to breakfast and lunch together without needing a sitter. On Wednesday last week, we dropped by the Olive Garden on Dodge to use a long-forgotten gift card. I got some spaghetti and salad with toasted ravioli and Vivian got some soup and lasagna while watching up for a bit before I returned to work.

Then on Wednesday this week, we went down to the Lighthouse Café in Olde Town Bellevue for breakfast. I’d visited once with my dad in 2020 (when it was the “Downtown Coffee Shop“), but they’d changed ownership and remodeled since then. I got some duck eggs and sausage awhile Vivian got a skillet, and we shared a plate of some “heavenly” waffles that taste a it like cake. It’s also a Christian-owned establishment, which you can clearly tell from the coffee mugs we were served while we were there.

On Wednesday evening, Hannah had her year-end ceremony with the girls from AHG, where they received their badges for the year and got to have some cupcakes and cookies afterward. This was the flip-side of Royal Rangers, where Vivian takes Hannah on Wednesday evenings twice a month. I don’t often get to see everything they do, other than the photos Vivian shares with me, but it was nice to be there with the other dads at the end of the year and take some photos.

Then afterward, Hannah and Aaron played on the playground for a bit before we headed home. I remember getting a few goofy selfies with Aaron when we were at his same facility for the same event two years earlier, so I snapped a couple more in the same spot (with the same pose) before we left.

On Thursday, I had lunch with the Business and Professional People for Life once again, stuffing myself with meatloaf and potatoes with a handful of my co-workers. We also got a legislative update from Marion Miner as the Unicameral wraps up, and also from Jim and Julie Mainelli on Mater Filius, a sort of halfway house for women with unexpected pregnancies.

I’ve also continued riding my bike nearly every day, enjoying the smell of fresh-cut grass and finding a secret wooded path (and having some free nuggets) along the Keystone Trail on one day, then rolling by the Ralston grain silos, the Hanscom Park lagoon, or even the Greek Islands, right off the Field Club Trail.

Friday was the last day of school for both Hannah and Aaron. Then that evening, Hannah and her classmates at Abounding Life had a family night for the parents. They had a graduation ceremony for the seniors and some musical performances from all the various age groups. They had themes based on different cultures around the world, and Hannah and her group were dressed in middle eastern garb singing and dancing to Hava Nagila.

We stuck around for some cake afterward (and Vivian’s charcuterie board) and got to take home a few of Hannah’s art projects from this year, including a painted flower pot (which she made for Grammy), a painting, and a picture made of corn. Now with summer looming ahead, we’re faced with a new, daunting task — how do we keep these kids occupied for the next three months?

Christmas lights, choir, and breakfast dates

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Looks like it will be a white Christmas after all, as we’ve had a dusting of snow and temperatures dropping down to single digits and below. We’re keeping warm in the meantime with some chili and cinnamon rolls and hot coffee in my Christmas tumbler. On Wednesday last week, I went out to breakfast with some co-workers and got to ride my bike before the snow came last, and I even went out to go riding again over lunch to grab a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich (thanks to the app).

On Wednesday evening, the Royal Rangers had an award ceremony where Aaron and his little friends got their patches for the activities they’ve participated in this year. It was a rare occasion for Vivian come to by and see what the boys have been up to the Mills family was also there with their boys while Sammy was with Hannah have a pizza and movie night with the American Heritage Girls.

Then the next morning, I had a breakfast date with Vivian down at IHOP, just as we got our first legit snow of the season. The snow was coming down heavy, but it was nice to sit and have some breakfast together before heading off to work. The snow wasn’t too bad, though, and it didn’t even stop me from a brisk walk up to Aldi and back over the lunch hour.

On Saturday morning, we took the kids down to the Goldfish Swim School for a free half-hour swimming lesson for the kids. We got it through a promotion deal with a therapy center next door, and it was fun to watch the kids learning some strokes and kicks one-on-one with a pair of instructors.

Then afterward, I took them down the street to Graley’s to have some ice cream for lunch. I also got a tasty ham and cheese hand pie, which we’d wanted to get when we were in downtown Papillion last time for the lighting ceremony. (This time there was no long, long line.)

Then that evening, we took the kids out to see some Christmas lights once the sun went down. We stopped by Washington Park in Olde Town Bellevue to see their synchronized music and light show. We walked through all the displays and let the kids swing for a little bit as well. The temperature was around 23 degrees and dropping, however, so we didn’t stay long.

Then we drove over to Wood River Drive, which was decorated once again for the season. We also got to see Santa, who had been there a few years before handing out candy canes but had been absent since 2019 or so. Hannah remembered him, though, and it was very nice to see him out once again. Then once we’d had our fill of lights, we returned home to watch A Christmas Story with the kids before bed.

On Sunday, I put on my Santa Shirt and took the kids down to church by myself, since Vivian had gone on ahead to sing with the Christmas choir. It was something she’d done before at Twin Valley Church and seemed very happy to do once again. The kids got some Happy Meals for lunch, which included basic versions of famous board games like Monopoly, which I played with Aaron that afternoon (before going out to get groceries and do some Christmas shopping with Hannah).

Then the next morning I got stuffed again at the Institute’s annual Christmas brunch. It’s the time of year when packing on a few extra pounds seems almost inevitable, but I’m still doing my best to get outside and move around, even when it seems to be snowing every other day.

Air Rifles, Little House, and Jim Pillen

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It’s been a busy, busy week finishing another Education Program at work and juggling other things with the kids as Halloween starts creeping around the corner.

Hannah and I got to have some special daddy/daughter time on Saturday morning down at Platte River State Park with her American Heritage Girls’ troop. We started things off with a little target shooting using a few of the air rifles in their shooting gallery. Hannah got to draw her own little target and then try to punch a few holes through it with some tiny metal slugs. It was her first shooting experience and fun for both of us to try to figure out how to get through a cartridge or two without jamming too much.

The AHG leaders lit a campfire in the meantime to make some s’mores as we had some lunch. Then we got to shake up some homemade ice cream in a plastic bag for dessert. After that, we went on an insect scavenger hunt, looking around for a handful of bugs, including a cricket Hannah found on the sidewalk (and then took around to show her friends). We finished our visiting with a brief trip up the observation tower, where I got a beautiful birds’ eye view of the fall colors all around the Platte River before we headed home.

The next day, we got Hannah’s Halloween costume in the mail. She’s been enjoying watching old episodes of Little House on the Prairie, so this year she decided to be Laura Ingalls for Halloween. Vivian put Hannah’s hair into braids after she tried on the dress, completing the look perfectly.

Then the kids and I walked on down to the Sandy Park together, stopping by my parents’ house to show them her out new outfit along the way. just to have some time outdoors enjoying in the fall colors and the crisp autumn weather. Hannah also got to take her dress for a test run down a hill, just like Melissa Gilbert did in the theme song.

Then on Tuesday, I got to have a luncheon with gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen down at Gorat’s Steakhouse (where I’d coincidentally first met our current governor eight years earlier). The Business and Professional People for Life had him as their guest speaker, so we got to hear him speak about his campaign and pro-life issues over hamburger steaks, followed by a short Q&A.

Joining the crowd of regulars were my parents, who I got to introduce to Pillen. My dad was a professor at UN-L for a few years “before testing positive for political incorrectness,” so he got to tell his story to Pillen, who is currently on the UN-L board of regents. My dad said that was worth the price of admission. It was a nice way to do democracy — up close and personal, asking questions directly to a candidate for governor. I even got to eat lunch right across from him, which was kind of special in itself. Just three weeks until election day.

Happy autumn, everyone!

Game Nights

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Whenever life gets hectic and it seems we don’t have one spare moment to catch our breath, I like to remind myself (and Vivian) how nice it is to have friends. I was reminded of that this weekend hanging out with three separate clusters of our own mutual friends.

On Friday night, Kate and Jessica had another game night, which was always a good idea for us, since Kate’s three girls seems to negate any need for babysitting Hannah and Aaron. Kate had an assortment of food, which included pizza dough, which Vivian made use of. I brought along some pumpkin spice Irish cream and we played a couple rounds of a card game called Baseball, which I nearly figured out how to play before we were done for the night.

Then on Saturday, we went up to Blair to see Tamra and Ryan’s new house for an evening of Tea and Telestrations. There was a campfire and Giant Jenga happening outside, but the carnivorous bugs seemed to be too much for everyone, so we stayed inside playing games upstairs and down. Hannah and Aaron also got to know a certain Siberian Husky up close and personal (and without freaking out).

On Sunday night, Twin Valley Church had its annual shin-dig at the Hall’s, with a roaring fire for s’mores and food brought by everybody. The kids had some fun swinging, rolling a giant wooden spool around, and checking out the chicken coop before the sun went down. Sadly, there was no hayrack-riding, since there was a conspicuous lack of hay, but we decided by the end of the night to have a bean-bag chair rack ride next year (BYOBBCs).

Then on Monday night, it was Daddy’s Night at Hannah’s Preschool. I’d gone last year with Hannah and got to see some of the same activities they engage in this time around, including the Daddy Song that the class sang for us. Hannah’s friend Sammy was there as well, and they got to spend a little time playing together. It had been raining all day, and when we left there was a giant rainbow to the east that spanned the entire sky — the biggest most of us had seen in our entire lives, I think.

Fall’s kicking into high gear now, and we’ve got plans for some outdoor fun over the next few weeks before Halloween (and winter) start to set in. Hello, autumn!

A Daddy/Daughter Dance

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It’s been another fun, busy weekend for us. Hannah and I kicked it off on Friday night by attending a daddy/daughter dance hosted by Calvary Church and the Sarpy YMCA. They put on a very nice event in the theme of a 50s “sock hop,” with a soda fountain, photo booth, and plenty of dancing to classic oldies music (though they The Temptations’ “My Girl” at least four times for some reason — hit the shuffle button, guys). Hannah didn’t seem quite as keen dancing with me as she did dancing either on her own or with another girl named Alyssa, but that was fine — it still burned off the sugar high she got from the chocolate fondue. Lindsey from the Y even got up to lead everyone in Zumba for a bit, which was still a little too organized for Hannah. We both still had a good time, and we finished the evening with a purple and orange flower on her nose.

On Saturday, the kids spent some quality time with grandma and grandpa having Chinese food for the first time and watching MST3K (Pumaman). Then that evening, Vivian and I went out to Milliard to surprise Dennis for his 40th birthday at Kara’s parents’ house. The event had the theme of a toga party, which meant lots of Greek-style food with the help of Phil and Jen. Kara’s dad also grilled some burgers after Dennis and the family dropped in for their surprise, and Jen also made a massively dense rainbow carrot cheesecake. Hannah played with Dean’s little girl and bopped little Matthew with a few balloons as the rest of us played some Pictionary before calling it a night.

On Sunday, we had a potluck lunch at church and then sent the kids home with Grammy and Pop Pop so we could attend another birthday party for Kody down at Soaring Wings Vineyard in Springfield. Around a dozen of our friends came by to have wine samples and cupcakes as Dan Christian covered some country songs as other people danced. Kody also presented Jenny with a ring, fooling the next table into thinking he’d just proposed. It was unfortunately too gray, cold, and rainy to go outside, which was beautiful, so maybe we’ll come back in the summer when they have a live band (like they did some seven years ago when we were here last for Venche’s birthday party).

Happy birthday, everybody!

Blooming where you’re planted

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On Friday night, the Jitterbugs held an anniversary dance in honor of fifteen years of Jitterbugs Night Out, a night that was even made 100% official by the Omaha City Council, thanks to our friend Lisa, who happens to work there. It seems like just yesterday I was awkwardly wandering into the Eagles’ Lodge for the first time. The volunteers went all out with elaborate balloon displays, snacks, and one of my favorite swing bands in the area, the Little Harper Big Band to provide the music. I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of true swing dancing veterans at the dance itself, but there were plenty of cool people to dance with. And despite actually biking to and from work today, I managed to stay on the dance floor during nearly every song.

Then at the end of the night, we brought home a bunch of balloons to surprise Hannah and Aaron when they woke up the next morning.

Saturday was a day of getting things done (mostly lawn-mowing), and then on Sunday we spent a long afternoon down in Avoca at the Bloom Where You’re Planted Farm. Having just been to Vala’s a few days earlier, I couldn’t help but notice the little pumpkin patch had the look and feel of a miniature, scaled down Vala’s. They had a corn bin and a water-pump duck race for the little ones, as well as a few of those head-through-the-hole photo displays. They also had a giant tire swing quite a few farm animals for the kids to check out, including goats, chickens, horses, and cows. There was also a hay rack ride, but it didn’t go to the pumpkin patch, because unfortunately they had absolutely no pumpkin crop this year whatsoever. Yes, they had pumpkins for sale, but they were all brought in (allegedly locally) from other pumpkin patches. We did let the kids get their own little pumpkins (aka decorative gourds), which could have grown on some of the vines down by the horse corral.

In the end, it was a nice little place to take the kids on a Sunday afternoon, and its smaller size made it a much easier trip than Vala’s. Vivian and I were able to sit in the shade and watch Hannah and Aaron run relatively freely without losing track of them, something that’s pretty much impossible to do at that other place.

On Tuesday, Vivian brought the kids down to the park to swing a bit, play in some sprinklers, and enjoy a stroll among the beautiful fall colors along the Keystone Trail.

Then that evening, I got to visit Hannah’s preschool along with a bunch of other guys as part of an open-house just for dads. I got to see some of the activities the kids get to do during the day, such as drawing, making paintings with rolling marbles, and hammering golf tees into foam blocks. Then Hannah’s teacher, Mrs. Sauerdyke, sat us down for “circle time.” This included going over the calendar, the days of the week, and singing a special little song for the dads present, which was very cute.

Afterward, they gave us vouchers for ice cream at Dairy Queen so we could take our little ones down to get inappropriately sugared up right before bed time. It was a sweet little daddy-daughter date, though. I’m always happy to spend time with Hannah before she’s too old to want to be seen in public with me.

Friendship is Magic

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It’s hard to believe, but my little girl turned three years old on Saturday — she’s growing up so fast! We celebrated with a My Little Pony themed party down at Twin Valley Church and invited all of Hannah’s little friends (no “bronies” allowed). Donna made a lovely Applejack cake, which Hannah has been talking about all week, along with some pony cookies to get everyone all sugared up. There was plenty of horse play for kids of all ages, and then Vivian had a “color your own pony” craft for all the little ones to do. Hannah also got a bunch of presents — toys from Sophia the First, Doc McStuffins, and other shows she watches. I’ll have to keep my eyes out for a Gummi Bear or two for Christmas.

There was also another birthday in the neighborhood. Phil was turning older up the street, so we drove on by to ~~get free food~~ wish him a happy birthday. We got to let Aaron flirt a bit with Cameron’s little girl. Phil and Jen stayed busy cooking, as usual, as Mystery Science Theater 3000 played in the background, which I expect to repeat at our own house on Turkey Day (if YouTube lets me stream via our Roku).

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson’s house so they could get a Christmas picture with their grandkids. We had tacos for lunch, and dad showed us some of his old toys, such as a giant “portable” radio that uses “A” style batteries and vacuum tubes, and a collection of Presidential figurines. I had some fun playing with those and having Hoover and Harding do battle with Roosevelt and Wilson while Hannah had Mamie Eisenhower hopping along with Ike. Good times.

Last days of an only child

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We have only one week left before we become a family of four, and it seems like time is going by so fast! It’s summer now, and that means the fountains at Stinson Park have been turned on. That made for a fun, wet lunch break (after Hannah got to have her first Whopper) with Hannah and daddy as we went strolling through the spray on Wednesday. Of course, I brought a change of clothes so I wouldn’t go back to the office completely soaked.

Uncle Jonny came down over the weekend to spend some time with us, and on Saturday we had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson’s house with Uncle Nathan. We got to see the new Baby Robins in the backyard and get some quality family time before calling it a night. Then on Sunday, we got to welcome Pastor Drew and his family back from Uruguay, where they had been visiting for the past month or so. We got to catch up with them during potluck, which included some quince jam and cheese from Uruguay.

Hannah has only a few days left of being an Only Child, so Vivian and I have been spending quality time with her as well. We had a couple more trips with her to the park, and we also went up to Mount Calvary to get some Belly Shots of Vivian before little Wilby Johnson has to come join the outside world. Then on Wednesday, Hannah got to have her first cooking experiencing helping daddy decorate a pizza for dinner. She definitely enjoyed doing that, and the resulting pizza was good, too.

Swine Dining

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The weather in Nebraska is hardly consistent or predictable, but while parts of the south are struggling to deal with an inch or two of snow, we in Nebraska have been enjoying what little snow we got this season before it vaporizes.

On Thursday last week, we finally got Hannah into her snow pants so she could try throwing her first snowball, and we even rolled up a snowman with her to place on the front lawn. We were fresh out of coal and had to make do with some cherry tomatoes and a grape (which Hannah ate). It was good to let her experience some of the joy of snow before spring comes on too quickly.

That evening, Grammy and Papa babysat Hannah as Vivian and I went off to enjoy some Valentine’s Eve together. We dropped by the Claim House in midtown Omaha, where I’d brought a Groupon I had hoped to use for a noontime date with Vivian. Then they stopped serving lunch, so we were left to have a proper date night together. We both ordered the meatloaf, which was what we had for dinner on our first Valentine’s Day seven years earlier. It seemed appropriate.

Afterward, we took a drive up to Ted & Wally’s for ice cream before returning home.

Vivian and I both had some surprised rolled up our sleeves for V-Day 2014. I kicked it off in the morning by whipping up some heart-shaped red velvet pancakes for a Valentine’s breakfast for us. Hannah especially seemed to like them. Then at lunchtime, I drove all the way home so I could drop off some special Valentine gift baskets for my two special ladies. I had also grabbed some lunch for us, but Vivian had actually driven all the way to my office to surprise me there at the exact same time! We eventually met up at my office, where we got to have a nice lunch at my desk as Hannah watched Winnie the Pooh.

That evening, we all went out to Swine Dining in Bellevue, which is an amazing barbecue “joint,” and though not the most romantic place to eat certainly had some delicious smoke ribs (which Hannah seemed to like as well).

Hannah got to romp in the snow a bit more before it all melted away. On Sunday afternoon, I took her down to the park in her snow pants, and she decided splashing in puddles was better than stomping about in the white stuff. We had some more fun on Monday over lunch as we went to Rockbrook Park to take Hannah sledding for the very first time.

Hannah’s Second

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It’s official, everyone: Vivian and I are now the parents of a two-year old. Friday was Hannah’s birthday, so we celebrated with a bunch of her little friends at the Sarpy YMCA by turning them all loose in an inflatable bounce-house in the workout room. They got to have free reign for nearly an hour after kicking off their shoes to bounce, climb, and slide all over the place. A few of the kids also discovered the giant yoga balls, which seemed like the perfect toy to roll around (at least until the Y staff told us to stop).

After the kids had been sufficiently bounced, we rounded them all back into the party room for some pizza and cake (always best to have the bouncing before dinnertime). Donna brought a lovely monkey birthday cake, and then she got to open a bunch of presents from her little friends. I think Hannah’s almost got the hang of opening presents, though she tends to become so fascinated with the first one or two she opens (such as a pair of pretend sippy cups) that she completely forgets that she has several others waiting to be opened. More practice for next year.

The rest of the family is still hanging out with us for the week leading up to Thanksgiving, of course. Most of our hanging-out tends to revolve around eating out, of course. On Saturday, we headed down to the Haymarket in Lincoln to have lunch with Dwayne Ball and my brother Nathan at Lazlo’s (which used to be called Fireworks and caused no end of confusion for us). Dad was absolutely fascinated with the parking meters out front for some reason and had to take a picture (and of course, I had to take a picture of him taking a picture).

Jonathan came down for a few days of watching Das Boot and playing some Apples to Apples with us, and then Nathan came up to Omaha on Sunday with Fat Pat’s pizza in tow, which was delicious as always. We got to introduce him to the IT Crowd before saying goodnight.

In other news, our friend Phil had a birthday that involved spicy Asian fondue, lots of random friends, and bean sprouts.

The Cornstalker's Journal: Matt & Vivian's Blog

Family, friends, and food (and sometimes politics) — our life in Omaha since 2006!

Category Archives: Hannah

Winding Down

Christmas lights, choir, and breakfast dates

Air Rifles, Little House, and Jim Pillen

Game Nights

A Daddy/Daughter Dance

Blooming where you’re planted

Friendship is Magic

Last days of an only child

Swine Dining

Hannah’s Second