Tis the Season...

I know it's a little late, but Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, filled with love, peace, and family and that the true meaning of Christmas stays with you and yours the entire year.

We've had a wonderful and busy last week. Friday afternoon we made the trip up to LeMars and spent a nice and long weekend with Matt's family. His brother, Chris, and our niece, Madison, flew in from Texas and Todd, Caroline, Steph & Leo made the trip down from Des Moines as well. It was so good to all be together (Jay, Debbie and the boys were also there -- but they live in town, so they didn't spend the night...) and the kids had such a blast playing non-stop for three days. We packed so much into the weekend -- a visit with Santa, a game night, Christmas celebrations, yummy food, and lots and lots of time to visit. One of the major highlights for Katherine..... getting to play with her beloved cousin, Jacob. I'm not sure what it is, but man... this girl is head over heels for her older (and absolutely adorable) cousin. She follows him around and just glows. Literally, she doesn't stop smiling! In the words of Thumper -- she's been twitterpated! And he's so sweet! He caters to her every whim and always includes her. I'm sure he likes the attention, too!!

Another highlight was playing with Madison! In Katherine's world there is nothing better than an older girl cousin to show her the ropes. Whenever Katherine gets to play with Madison she feels like such a big girl and wants to do whatever Madison does. It's so sweet! Katherine is anxiously awaiting Madison's arrival in Des Moines. We're *hoping* that they are able to come down and spend a few days with us before they need to head back to Texas. Katherine is already planning an all-girl slumber party!!

I've got tons of great pictures, but haven't started editing them. I'm hoping to have them done in the next day or two and as soon as I do, I'll post!!

We headed back home on Monday morning and then had Christmas with my family -- church, dinner and opening presents. As soon as we got home, Katherine made the mad dash into bed. Literally, she ran right up to her room, turned off the lights and crawled into bed. She was all about waiting for Santa! Unfortunately, she feel asleep too soon and didn't hear the Rudolph land on the rooftop!! LOL!

There is nothing better than seeing the magic of Christmas in the eyes of your children. I remember how wonderful Christmas was as a child, and it's my hope to build those same warm memories and traditions with my own kids...

Christmas morning we woke up to a tree filled with presents and two very happy little kids. Caleb got his long awaited train table, which has now become our new coffee table! LOL. I swear, he's played with it non-stop!! Katherine got her iPod (not a real one) but she loooves it, and the computer she's had her eye on! So it was a good Christmas for all.

Pictures *hopefully* tomorrow!!

Merry Christmas!

It may be a few days early, but I thought this card was pretty cool. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! Merry Christmas to you all.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0212320003

Glad today is over...

It's been a rough last 24 hours, and I've got tell you, I'm glad it's over...

There are some people that are born and bred to be able to handle cleaning up puke, and unfortunately, I'm not one of them.... When I was cleaning Katherine up, I ended up getting it all over myself. I was sure I was going lose it. I couldn't help it... that gag reflex is just too strong.... Poor little Katherine -- it made her feel so bad, which made me even worse....

After both kids threw up in my bed last night (on the huge waterproof pads), Katherine fell asleep and actually got some decent rest through out the night. She was sick a few more times during the night, but was able to fall back asleep fairly easily.

Caleb was another story. He kept begging for more water. He was restless. He didn't want to go to sleep. He kept begging for more water. He wanted to watch Thomas. He wanted to poke my cheeks and honk my nose. He kept begging for more water. He wondered where his Daddy was. He wanted to chat all night long -- literally. Did I mention that he wanted more water??? I told him to PLEEEEAAAASE go to sleep more times that I can count... Finally around 3:45 I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I told him, one more time, to try and sleep and I shut my eyes thinking he'd sleep too. Wrong!

I dozed off for about 15 minutes and then when I opened my eyes, I couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed. He wasn't in the bathroom. He was GONE. I raced around the house, and found him sitting on the kitchen island ... devouring a glass a water I must have left there.

I couldn't believe it... Within two minutes he threw up all over the kitchen. Oh. My. Goodness. It looked like someone was playing paintball in the house. So there I am -- 4 am, cleaning the kitchen and sanitizing like a psycho. It was about more that I could take.

The three of finally fell asleep around 4:45 and Katherine woke up around 7. Can I just tell you how tired I was????

On top of that.... Matt tried to use the little steam cleaner on Caleb's carpet, but it just made it worse. Much worse. His room looked like a war zone, so I had to call the carpet cleaners to come out and take care of it. As luck would have it, they have a $90 minimum charge, so I cleaned, vacuumed and moved toys & furniture out of the living room so that they could also clean that room.

In a nutshell -- today was terrible. I did countless loads of laundry -- somewhere north of 10 loads, gave both the kids 2 baths each, cleaned up more puke, vacuumed, dusted, moved furniture, sanitized the kitchen and bathrooms, and took care of the kids --- ALL ON TWO AND A HALF HOURS OF SLEEP.

Oh, baby... I'm ready for bed!! Here's to a better tomorrow!

why oh why....

...am I blogging when I should be sleeping??? Well... let me tell ya....

At 1:00 am Matt nudges me awake. Katherine is calling for you, he tells me.... I instantly hear her screaming and run in.

"I'm sorry Mommy... I'm so sick.... I threw up.... " She's sobbing and as soon as I turn on the light and move toward the bed the unmistakable smell smacks me in the face.

Oh. It. Was. Horrible.

I'm not sure how she did it, but she must have puked in her sleep. It was all over her pillow, down the side of her face and in her hair. So I stripped her down and threw her in the tub. Right as I'm picking puke out of her hair Caleb starts yelling/crying. Matt runs in there and guess what he finds??? The mess of the century. Puke is everywhere.... All over his bedding, his floor, the wall. Pretty much everywhere but on him!

So here I am, 1:15 in the morning.... Both kids in the tub..... Matt running the carpet cleaner...... Starting laundry..... feeling queasy myself....

We finally get them both cleaned up and put them into bed with me. Since Matt has to work in the morning, he gets to rest in the basement with the promise that he's a cell phone call away! LOL. I laid them on huge waterproof pads that they use in the labor and delivery ward. Those sure come in handy!!

As soon as they get settled into bed, with clean jammies and hugs, Caleb starts puking once again. Immediately Katherine joins in. So there I am, two kids throwing up in my bed at the same time. Oh. My. God. It's going to be a long night... and it's not even 2:00 am yet!

Birthday girl!!

Is it immature of me that I still LOOOOVE to celebrate my birthday? Well I do, and I hope it isn't! LOL!

Today was a great day. From the moment I woke up, until late in the evening I got so many wonderful birthday calls and cards from lots of great friends. Kelly actually called me as I was racing around the house this morning trying to get the kids out the door. She wanted to make sure that she was one of the first to call. Gotta love that!

After preschool, Katherine, Caleb and I went to the mall to meet Julie, Andrea and Carolyn for lunch. We played in the play area for a while, had lunch, rode on the little Christmas train and talked to Santa (once again).

I can't tell you how nice it was -- all 9 kids get along wonderfully. There are no fights, no "excluding" anyone, no problems at all. It was a relaxing, wonderful afternoon at the mall with great friends.

Andrea had offered to watch the kids tonight so that Matt and I could go to dinner, but since Katherine had dance lessons, we'll have to go another night.... and at the rate things are going, it'll have to be sometime in January. We ended up heading up to my parents house to visit for a while and Katherine is spending the night with Grammy. It's such a treat for her. She LOVES these nights.

Matt got me a new SLR camera -- the Canon Rebel XT. I can't wait to start playing with it! Happy birthday to me! Mom and Dad got me some All Clad (which I love) but when Katherine saw it, she was instantly appalled. "Grammy, you got mommy a pan" she blurted out! LOL!!

Oh -- and the best moment of the day -- BY FAR???? Katherine and Caleb singing to me on the way to preschool this morning. All of a sudden, Katherine turned to Caleb and said, "Are you ready??? Let's sing!!" Oh. My. Goodness. It they have the sweetest little voices! It just melted my heat.... They are so adorable -- and thoughtful.

Meeting Santa

This weekend Matt and I took the kiddos to Jordan Creek to finish up a little Christmas shopping, make a pit stop at the play area, and visit Santa... Katherine loves visiting Santa, but Caleb.... well that's another story. He has no problem asking for the much coveted "train table" from a distance, but sitting on some strange guy's lap .... yea, that's not happening!

When it was our turn to talk to Santa, Katherine ran up to him and threw her little arms around his neck so he could lift her up on his lap. While he talked to her about being a good girl and asked her what she wanted, Caleb just watched from the sidelines. He wasn't going anywhere near this strange man with crazy white hair and a goofy outfit.

Katherine told Santa that she wanted a new sled, a dancing doll, an iPod (yea right!), a new "big girl" watch and a computer. Here she is charming the big guy! Check out his outfit.... he's the nicest Santa out there (I'm totally serious) but man.... what's up with the shirt???



When Santa realized that Caleb was scared of him, he had me walk Caleb over so that he could get really close and talk to him. He asked Caleb what he wanted, and then talked... and talked... and talked about train tables after I indicated that he'd be getting one. It was great. He really knew ALL the age appropriate toys for both kids.

After a couple of minutes of toy chatter, he lifted Katherine off his lap and slid down to the ground and told her to sit in his chair while he sat beside her on the floor. He then told me to put Caleb on the far side of the chair and he read them "'Tis the Night Before Christmas" and showed them pictures of all of his reindeer. If you look in the pictures, you'll see some jingle bells on the arm of the chair next to Caleb. Santa told the kids that those belong to Prancer and that they should be listening for them on the rooftop on Christmas Eve.

Caleb was instantly a changed man!! He is a HUGE Santa fan and by the time we left, it was hugs and high-5's all around. What a difference he made for Caleb. I've got to tell you... Both Matt and I were amazed with the time he took with the kids. Literally we were with him almost 10 minutes. He was GREAT!

Overheard...

Caleb: Mommy, Mommy, HEEEEEELLLLP Meeeee! HEEEEEELP!!

Me: What's wrong Caleb?

Caleb: You need ..... put your finger in my nooose...

Me: *Stunned and trying to conceal a "few" giggles* Caleb, do you need me to pick your nose??

Caleb: No.... I got it! I got it!

He proceeds to shove his finger up his nose and dig around a second. I try to tell him to take it out... I don't need a bloody nose!

Caleb: Luk (look) Mommy, luk!! It's BIG one! It's big one!!!

He's waving around a huge one the tip of his finger, and couldn't be more proud. Smiling ear to ear! Only my boy!

Me: Caleb give me that please.

Caleb: No way, Mommy! I show Daddy!! Show Daddy!!! Dat a biiiiiig one!

Rockettes

I've been meaning to upload these pictures for a week now, and finally found the time!!

The Rockettes have been in town all month putting on a Christmas show down at the Civic Center. Matt's parents had been talking about coming down to see it for some time, and decided last weekend was the perfect time! We were so glad to have them stay with us for a few days!

Katherine LOVES anything dance related, so it was the perfect opportunity for a daddy/daughter date night. So Katherine got all dressed up in her Christmas dress and the four of them had a great time watching the Rockettes.

To the important stuff... the pictures!




Not to be left out, Caleb went and stood in front of the fireplace -- in his jammies. No shame!! LOL!

By all accounts, they had a wonderful time. Katherine was memorized by all the dancers and was good as gold. She acted like such a little big girl. Quite the princess. She's already looking forward to the next show. Imagine that!!

Sooo sad....

With the passing of my Grandma, it's been a hard week, but I'm finally back on the blogging bandwagon....

Oh. My. Goodness. Sometimes I don't think I give the kids enough credit. They're much smarter than I think they are. They understand significantly more that I thought they would. They're more perceptive than I thought they were capable of. In short, the way their little minds work is amazing.

With the passing of my Grandma, I struggled with how much I should tell them.... and how elementary the explanation should be.... and unfortunately I got TONS of unsolicited advice. At last, I decided that if Katherine or Caleb were mature enough to ask the difficult questions, I owed it to them to give them an honest, frank explanation. Any question they had, I would answer the best I could. I'm not sure if that was the right decision, or the best way to go about it, but it's a decision I could live with...

So....

Last night I made chili for dinner and it was a little on the spicy side. Since Matt and I had a few errands to run, we told the kids we'd take them out for ice cream and check out the Christmas lights. I had to mail the Christmas cards, so we ran through Dairy Queen on the way there. Right before we turned onto the boulevard where the post office is, Caleb pipes up from the back seat and says, "Dat's Grandma's house. Grandma lives right dere". I was shocked! Directly behind the post office is the Hospice house where my Grandma stayed for the past 2.5 months. (You enter both the post office and hospice house from the same drive, so he was exactly right). The remarkable thing was that Caleb had only been there a handful of times, and none of them was very recent, as I didn't want to bring him in there when she got really sick.

I thought I was hearing things (literally) so I turned to Matt to see if he heard it. We were both shocked. I decided not to acknowledge Caleb's comment. I wanted to know if he really knew what he was talking about. Sure enough, as soon as we turn into the parking lot, he says, "I see Grandma. Dat Grandma's house. Grandma lives dere. I see Grandma.... I want popcorn MMMM tooo???" (Caleb LOVES popcorn sprinkled with M&M's -- what kid wouldn't???) Matt and I couldn't believe it. He really knew. He remembered being in there weeks ago, and not only that, but he knew exactly why he was there. He recognized the "house". We were amazed.

Then today....

I'm usually on top of things. Katherine's homework is always done. Her show and tell is never forgotten. When she's snack helper, it's always a big production. Today I failed. Big. Time.

On the way to school I remembered show and tell -- and the fact that we hadn't brought anything. We were already running late, so turning around wasn't an option. How could I forget? *** Show and tell is a HUGE deal when you're in preschool. I apologized a million times and asked her what she wanted to bring today, as I was going to rush right home and grab it and bring it back. As luck would have it, show and tell is at the end of the day, so I could put it in her cubbie and no one would be the wiser. She told me what she wanted to bring, and then gave me "second choice" in case I couldn't find it. How sweet is that?

As soon as we got to school, I took her coat and bag so that I could hang them up for her while she washed her hands. When I walk into the classroom, I notice their ABC books are setting out on the table and my heart sinks... (Each week the kids are to look through magazines and cut out pictures starting with the corresponding letter that they study that week. This week they were working on "I" words"). It's their homework, and I totally and completely forgot.

So while she writes her name, I start looking through magazines. I couldn't feel worse at this point.... Not only did I forget show and tell for the first time, but she doesn't have her "homework" done. Talk about a loser mom....

Well, this loser mom has been blessed with one amazing little girl I'm proud and thrilled and honored to call my daughter. She comes over to me, sits down and closes the magazine on my hands. Then she looks up at me and says, "Don't worry about it Mommy. I don't need magazine pictures I'll just draw my own". I couldn't help it... Tears started spilling down my face. It would have been so easy for her to be embarrassed that we didn't get her homework done, or angry that she didn't have pictures just like everyone else, but she wasn't. She couldn't have been sweeter. She couldn't have been more perceptive. I'm so proud of her. I'm so proud to be her Mom.....

After I picked Katherine up from school, she suggested that we head down to the Science Center, so down we went. One of the programs they wanted to watch was the "cold blooded critters" demo. They got to touch a salamander, hold a turtle and pet a snake. Yea, good times! LOL. In one of the compartments where they keep the "critters" they had an empty turtle shell and lots of snake skins.

The guy conducting the demonstration asks the kids if they can see the turtle in the empty shell. They answer NO and have this conversation...

Katherine: Doesn't the turtle need his shell anymore?

SCI guy: UUUUMMMM, no he doesn't need his shell anymore.

Katherine: Why not?

SCI guy: Well, he's not in there anymore.

**** OK, I totally know where this is going.

Katherine: Why doesn't he need his shell? Did he die?

SCI guy: ** shocked** uuuh, yea. ** Any and all eye contact is suddenly gone. I can tell how uncomfortable this is making him...

Katherine: Is the turtle in Heaven?

*** At this point, I step in and start answering her questions. All of a sudden, Katherine looks up, puts her hand on the turtle shell, looks directly at the SCI guy, and says, "Don't worry, I'm not sad. My mommy's Grandma just died this week, and she'll get to see the turtle. They're both in Heaven playing together".

I was at a loss for words. Wow... just wow... She understands more that I thought...

****************

Tonight when Matt gets home from work, we're heading to Jordan Creek mall for little last minute shopping and to have dinner. I'm getting Matt the iPod Classic for Christmas, so we're going to check them out before I actually order one. Katherine wants to see Santa again, so we'll take the kiddos for another Santa visit and let them play in the play area.

For Christmas, I'm getting a digital SLR, but still haven't decided which one. I had planned on going to the camera store just about every day for the past month, but with my Grandma being ill, time got away from me. At this point, I'll probably end up getting it after Christmas. It's a good thing, I'm much more mature than I used to be! LOL.

Anyway, thank goodness for Friday! It seems like we haven't had any really great family time lately, so I'm looking forward to it!

In loving memory...

My Grandma passed today after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Gram -- I will miss you each and every day. Your memory will live on in our hearts forever. I love you.

All is well...

Our water is back on, Matt made it home safely, and his trip was a success. Oh, and I'm watching Grey's. Life is good.

Now if only my house was clean, and our driveway was shoveled!

Snowstorm...

I just saw on the news that there was a water main break in Johnston close to my house. They said that residents would be without water for "an extended period of time". Moments before that, I heard the toilet make an odd noise, so I went to check to see if I was affected. YEP!!

So now the kids and I are without water for who knows how long. GREAT!

Winter wonderland...

Today it snowed... and snowed... and snowed... and it hasn't stopped since around 11:30 this morning. The ground is covered in a thick white blanket, and the roads underneath are pretty slick. We got around 4 inches, and thankfully it appears to be letting up.

Normally I'd be thrilled about this. A cozy night at home with the kids.... some yummy take-out for dinner.... jammies on early.... popcorn and a movie... snuggled under a blanket or two... drinking hot chocolate...

But tonight??? Not so much! Matt had to take an early flight to Chicago this morning for work, and is "scheduled" to be home around 7:30 or so.... It doesn't look like he'll make it. Pretty much everything (schools, churches, holiday programs, etc...) are cancelled for tonight. UUUUGH!

Proud Momma moment

I had such a proud momma moment today and have to share!!

Today while Katherine was in her gymnastics class I was chatting with some of the other moms while watching her from the "parent viewing area". The class that she's currently enrolled in is for kids aged 4.5 - 7. After she "graduates" from this class, she will get to have class in the "big gym" with regular size equipment. ** The class she's in now has miniature equipment for the little kids to learn on. Anyway, one of the moms I was talking to, mentioned that she didn't know if her little girl would ever make it out of this class. As I found out, 7 is not a magical age. They don't automatically get to go to the more advanced class as soon as they turn 7, nor are they held back in the kid gym if the instructor feels they are ready to move up.

Also, two of the moms I was talking to thought that their girls were the youngest in the class. They both will turn 5 in January. Katherine doesn't turn 5 until March, so she was barely 4.5 when I enrolled her. Remember my over scheduling issue??? She wasn't in this class from the beginning of year, so not only was I worried about her being on the "young" side, but also she missed the first 2 months of class, so I was worried that she'd be behind the other girls.

With that being said....

After class today Mr. Terry, her instructor, came up to me and said, "Has she always been this good? It seems like she's really progressed in the past couple of weeks." I was dumbfounded. How do you answer a question like that?? I told him that Katherine loves gymnastics and is always practicing in the living room. (Truer words were never spoken)!!

We then had this conversation --

Terry: Did you notice that I stopped the class and had all the kids watch Katherine's cartwheels?

Me: Wow. No, I didn't realize what was going on.

Terry: Her cartwheel on the one side is PERFECT. It's spot on. She still needs a little work on the other side, but I'm amazed at how good her cartwheels are. I had her show the other kids how to do them. She's by far and away the best in the class.

Me: Oh, thank you. That's so nice of you to say and so good to hear.

Terry: I'm not being nice. I've got my eye on her and I don't think it'll be long until I move her up to the next class.

Me: Really???

Terry: Absolutely. She's one of the best 4 year olds I've ever worked worth. She's got a lot of potential.

Katherine at this point is beaming. Inside she wants to jump up and down, but she just stood there like a little lady smiling. So yea!! Good for her!

I've got to tell ya.... There is nothing more wonderful than watching your child excel at something that they truly love. Seeing their success is so much sweeter than ever experiencing it yourself. I'm so proud of her!! WOO-HOO for my little girl!

Photo Success!!

Today I took the kids to get their Christmas pictures taken, and it was GREAT! Truly wonderful. The set up was relaxing. They had balloons, suckers and a movie playing for the kids and I could pick out the pictures in peace. Oh, and my mom came along to help entertain the munchkins and brought her bag of tricks along. How sweet it is!!

On the way to the studio, Katherine kept asking how things would play out... what color would the background be, would she be standing or sitting, could she twirl around in her new dress, should she smile big or just a little, would Caleb be in with her, or would she be alone??? It was a typical 20 question conversation with Katherine. As we continued to talk, I figured out that although she wanted pictures with Caleb, she also wanted some alone... Evidently she claims that she hasn't had her picture taken in a while and really wanted some of just her... What is that??? To say that my kids aren't well photographed, is fiction... pure fiction I tell ya!! LOL.

Both kids were wearing red and black clothes, but I couldn't really find any black shoes for Caleb. As a last ditch effort, I stopped at Target on my way to hospice last night and picked up a pair. But I have to confess... they were hideous. Just awful. But, in pictures, they'd look better than brown.... So I bought them. I kept stewing about the shoes -- I hated them.... I couldn't really put them on him... What on earth would I do with them after pictures? He certainly would NEVER wear them again! I decided to call Danyel to see if Walker had any old ones that Caleb could wear in pictures. Sure enough, she had the perfect pair. The only problem was that they were AT LEAST 2 or 3 sizes too big, but for pictures, would it really matter??? NOPE!! Oh, I swear, we couldn't keep them on him. He'd walk a few steps and they'd fall off. Finally, I took them off and carried that poor kid out of the mall!! But man, they looked good in pictures! LOL!

I've got to tell ya.... it seems like Caleb has grown up overnight. The last time I got his pictures taken, I was dripping with sweat, cussing under my breath, and beyond frustrated. It didn't seem worth the effort. For some reason today he got it. He sat and smiled. He interacted with Katherine. He actually smiled for the camera (gasp, shock, horror). Oh, and when all else failed... he could be bribed -- and no, I'm not above bribing for something as important at Christmas pictures!! I told him that if he sat still, I'd give him a sucker. Let's just say that his little rear end was planted! LOL. Worked like a charm!! It was actually enjoyable -- and I haven't thought that in quite a while!!

Now I'm just hoping that I can sweet talk Danyel into scanning the Christmas pictures so you all can see them. They turned out sooooo well!!

After the pictures were taken, we decided to grab a bite for lunch. I had to stop at the ATM, and Caleb kept walking. Little ol' mother hen (Katherine) caught sight of this, and put her arm around him and said "Come here sweetie". Oh my goodness... They were adorable. Walking hand in hand, talking in sweet little voices, watching out for one another. Let's just say this... I got so many comments from complete strangers...

OK -- I'm off to scrap. I haven't scrapped in ages, and after today, I'm totally in the mood!!

Disney -- final day

At long last ... I'm to the final day of our Disney trip! Never thought it'd take me this long to finally get around to posting these.... I'm going to get these pictures out here, and will add in more stories tomorrow. It's getting late!

Of all the days, this had to be the most exhausting! We ran non-stop on the final day, went to three different parks, rode countless rides, and met several characters. It was a great day! On a side note, take a good look at the pictures. None of them have been retouched to delete "strangers" in the background. Compared to summertime, the parks were vacant. LOVE THAT!!

My parents love the French restaurant in the International Showcase part of Epcot, so we decided to all go over there for lunch. We got reservations for noon, and decided to walk around the some of the countries before we ate. It was a gorgeous morning!

Caleb holding hands with Grammy and Pop-pops crossing the bridge into the French area.

Katherine and Morgan.
Matt, me and the kids....

Morgan, Caleb and Katherine ....

These next pictures were taken in Japanese "world".

Matt and the kids taking a quiet moment to enjoy the day...

Katherine and I in one of the Japanese gardens...

These next pictures were taken in Norway. Caleb fell in love with the model train and city that runs along the main street. It was pretty cool -- you could walk along a path right in the middle of the display and the village was on either side of you. Caleb was running around, trying to follow the train... totally in awe. He could have stayed there and watched that thing for hours. Of course Matt loved pointing out all of the little things to him!! It's totally a boy thing!

Here's my little princess enjoying the sun. She asked me to take a couple pictures of just her, and this is what we got!

Katherine and I in Italy. The architecture was just gorgeous! It made me want to hop on a plane and cross the ocean!

This little fountain structure is right outside the French restaurant. The food was great, but the service couldn't have been slower. Since the kids were getting antsy, I took them outside while Matt paid the bill. Caleb was enamoured with the fountain. He would have jumped right in if I'd have let him!

Finally, after about 20 minutes (literally) Matt catches up with us! Caleb is still by that fountain!

All of a sudden Sleeping Beauty appeared and walked right up to Katherine. Since no one else was around they chatted for about 5 minutes. Sleeping Beauty told Katherine that she was such a little princess, and had blue eyes just like her. Oh. My. Heavens. She ate that right up! It's all she could talk about! She and Sleeping Beauty were the newest BFF's!!

We all decided to split up .... My parents wanted to stay at Epcot and do some shopping, Laurie & Clyde wanted to take their girls to the Magic Kingdom and we were off to MGM in hopes of meeting the Little Einsteins.

On our way to the boat, we ran into Chip and Dale. I'm not sure which one Katherine is with in these pictures, but she was so happy to run into them. Such a nice surprise! Caleb wasn't about to get out of his stroller for a fuzzy chipmunk he didn't know, so no pictures of him...

At long last.... we arrived at MGM and met one of Katherine's hero's -- June from Little Einsteins. June is a "dancer just like me" so Katherine was in Heaven. Literally she was beaming from ear to ear. She's one happy little girl! Forget Sleeping Beauty... now this is a BFF!! LOL!

After we watched a parade, saw the Indiana Jones stunt show, and took the kids on a few rides, we raced over to the Magic Kingdom and caught up with everyone. We took the kids on a few of their favorite rides, and ate dinner. Since Epcot was open late, we ran back over there and went on Soarin' one last time along with a few other rides.

My dad and Caleb outside of Figment.

The girls inside the Nemo ride.

It was an exhausting day. We ran from early in the morning, until late at night. When we got home, Katherine slept for 17 (nope, not a typo) straight hours. It was an amazing trip. We have so many great memories and the kids are anxiously looking forward to the next time we go. We're shooting for 2 years, but we'll have to see how tall Caleb is. One thing is for sure.... we won't be going until he reaches the magical height of 40 inches!!

Oh Christmas Tree....

Yesterday was the big decorating day in the Hanson house! We finally got around to putting up the Christmas tree, and spent the better part of yesterday decorating it. It was quite the production, but well worth the effort. The kids are amazed at all the lights in the house and Caleb can't stop starting. He's said, "It's prrrdddy Mommy" probably a million times in the last 24 hours.

Typically, I'm a white light kind of girl, but Katherine... not a chance! For her, it's all about the color, and the more the better. So right after Matt and I got the tree in the stand, I took off for Target to get colored lights. On the way out the door (as I always do) I asked Matt if he needed anything. This time, however, I didn't direct the question directly to Matt and just said, "I'm leaving now, do you need anything from Target?" Katherine looks at me in a very serious 4 year old kind of way, and says, "You know, Mommy, I could really use a new Barbie". LOL. Ya think????

We decided to put the lights on the tree and then put the kids down for their naps before digging out the ornaments. Since we were out with the neighbors until 1 am the night before, Matt and I decided to take a little nap too... Oh. My. Heavens. It was one of the little luxuries of life. It was like a dream come true! Matt and I slept for two hours and the kids slept for three. It was such a treat!!

Later that night, we grabbed dinner and decorated the tree. Caleb was so cute. He kept walking around saying, "I help you, Mommy.... I help you, Daddy". It was so sweet. When he saw Matt laying down on the floor tightening the tree stand, he belly flopped on the floor as fast as he could. When I was untangling the strands of lights, he would have stood there and held them for hours if I asked him too. And, oh what a help he was unwrapping the ornaments!! He'd take them from me and run to the tree as fast as his little legs would carry him. Christmas is so much more fun for him this year. He totally gets it!!

I'm getting the kids' Christmas pictures taken tomorrow, so here's to hoping they turn out well. Keep your fingers crossed!! Remember the night I went out shopping with the neighbor girls? I found Katherine a dress that night and not only does it match Caleb's shirt, but it fits perfectly! Sooo glad about that, and can't wait to take that bag of expensive stuff back to Gymboree! Won't even tell you how much I spent there, as I'm sure it'd send you into cardiac arrest, and if I type that number I'll actually have to acknowledge it, which I refuse to do!! LOL. Oh, and the best part... I've shown the two dresses to several people and everyone likes the cheaper one better. BONUS!!

On a side note... After we got home from dance tonight, I gave the kids a quick bath and headed up to hospice. The parking lot was unusually full. When the nurse came in to check on my Grandma, we got talking and she told us that two "young" patients we recently admitted. One was a 56 year old husband/father, and the other was a 30 year old wife and mother of four. Both have cancer and aren't expected to make it until the end of the week...

Hug your babies tonight.... Thank God for your good health.... Count your blessings.... Remember those less fortunate..... Look for the good in all people.... Find joy in all you do... Celebrate life, love and happiness...

A first...

Last night we had major milestone in the Hanson household. We got our first "third party" babysitter. We've had my niece, Stephanie, watch the kids twice, but she used to work in a daycare, and is in college. Besides, she's hardly "third party". She's their cousin for goodness sake! Oh, and I've had Andrea watch the kids for an hour or two in a jam, but the kids see her every day in the summer and at least weekly in the winter. Again, not exactly my definition of "third party".

So last night Rick and Danyel had a neighborhood party so everyone decided to get a sitter. I thought it was a good night to "test drive" one of the neighbor girls. I had never met her personally, but I've known her mom from neighborhood functions like Bunco and such. Also, Rachel has baby sat for several of the neighbors, and taken babysitting and CPR classes. I thought it'd be perfect since we'd only be two doors down.

As you can imagine, time got away from me -- it was the combination of good wine and great friends. The boys were in the basement watching football on Rick's new flat screens above the bar and shooting pool. The girls were chatting upstairs. It was a great time. Anyway, I looked up at the clock and noticed it was 12:40! UUUUHHHH... time to go!! So Matt and I ran home.

I felt horrible!! Rachel was sleeping on the couch, and when I woke her, we chatted about the night and she said that she almost had to call me. Evidently, Katherine decided that she wanted to wait for me to come home before she she went to bed. From all accounts (including Katherine's this morning) it was a struggle! Finally, Rachel got the kids in bed around 10. I'm sure the poor girl was fit to be tied. Other than bedtime, I think it went OK though....

I'd like to use her again, so hopefully after Katherine's antics, she'll come back!! I'll never forget the time Matt's mom was watching Katherine while we went to Matt's class reunion. When I got back to the house, I found her doing laps around the dining room table at 11 PM waiting for me to return. She's a stubborn one, so I fully believe all Rachel told me......

Happy Friday!

Today was a GREAT day.... filled with ordinary things, familiar places, and old friends. It was filled with all the people and things I love about Fridays, but had some wonderful and unexpected surprises. I guess that's what a truly great day is.... Making the most of the everyday, spending time with the people you love, and living in the moment. That's what we had today -- a totally ordinary daythat turned extraordinary.

After I dropped Katherine off at school, Caleb and I ran a few errands, and then headed to playgroup over at Andrea's house. The kids had so much fun today. They played cars/trucks/trains for the first hour and then Andrea pulled out an adorable craft she got for them. They made their very own beaded Christmas ornaments!! Soooo cute!! Caleb can't wait to hang it on the tree.

When it was time for me to leave and pick up Katherine, Caleb didn't want to come. All he could think about was getting back to the toys, so he stayed behind to play with the kids. I returned to a sobbing, heartbroken little boy. Andrea said he was uncontrollable. Caleb and I had this conversation:

Me: Honey, what happened?

Caleb: I sad Mommy.

Me: Why are you so sad? I came right back for you...

Caleb: 'Cause I cry for you.

Me: Why were you crying? You were playing with your friends and having a great time.

Caleb: 'Cause I miss you Mommy...

AAWWWW... How sweet is that?

About this time, I found out Matt was coming home for the day. He was "sick" and needed to sleep for a while. OK -- he wasn't really sick. He went out to 801 Steak and Chop with a client and had a little too much wine. He didn't get home until about 11 last night, so he was probably pretty tired on top of it all. But -- good for him. I'm glad he went out and had fun. And it doesn't hurt that someone else picked up the tab!!

So when the kids and I got home from playgroup, Matt was already camped out and sleeping in the basement, so we ate lunch and the busted out the play-doh. We were chatting and listening to Christmas music, and I got thinking about the pending snow and ice storm and decided to call Howell Tree Farm and have them cut the tree. I packed up the kids and off we went to get the tree. Katherine was just giddy. She's so excited to get that tree up and decorated that she can hardly stand it.

When I got home, the kids wanted to watch a movie and have a snack, so I decided to check my email and got the surprise of my life... That's right, if you're still reading, this is what made today extraordinary....

I've got some *GREAT* news and I want to shout it from the rooftops!!

Before Matt left work today he forwarded me an email, which I read while the kids were watching a movie. It was an announcement from HR stating that Matt was promoted to the Senior Officer level. In addition to the promotion, they reorganized the reporting structure and Matt now manages his own team of analysts. It's a wonderful accomplishment, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He's worked so hard for this, and deserves the promotion and increase in responsibility more than anyone I know. So a big congrats to my hubby!!

I was so thrilled, that I ran downstairs and woke his hung-over bum up. We chatted about it for a while and then took the kids out for dinner.

After dinner, we went up to hospice to visit my Grandma. One of the malls was open late tonight, so I left hospice in time to go shopping with Andrea, Carolyn and Julie. It was so nice to have a girls night out. We shopped, drank Starbucks, and chatted. I love these kind of nights!

The big find of the night was the kids' Christmas pj's. When I saw these I fell in love with immediately. Caleb is going to love them!! He's obsessed with frogs, and thinks that the frog at the Science Center "talks" him. They "ribbit" back and forth! LOL!! The color is slightly off in the picture. They're much more green, and the frogs are absolutely adorable.

The set I got Katherine is similar to these, except that hers are of all the Disney Princesses, red with glittery sparkles all over and come with slippers. She's going to love them! I can't wait to give them their new jammies and put them to bed on Christmas Eve all snuggled up and dreaming of Santa. Let the holidays begin!!

Tis the Season

I love this time of year. I love it all... the music, the decorations, the anticipation, the magic of the season. The best part is seeing the wonder and excitement in the eyes of your children. I remember the joy of it all when I was little and really want to make sure that my own kids have the same wonderful warm memories.

Today, while Matt was at work, the kids and I started pulling out the Christmas decorations, and started getting the house ready for Christmas. The process of it all was so much fun. We turned up the holiday tunes and sang & danced out little hearts out. The garland is up and the lights are on; now we're just waiting for the tree which we plan to cut this weekend. Matt and I took the kids out to Howell Tree Farm the weekend before Thanksgiving to pick out the tree, and it's been waiting for us to bring it home ever since!

Speaking of Christmas -- I'm getting the kids pictures taken at Flash next Tuesday morning. I usually love getting their Christmas pictures taken, but this year it's STRESSING ME OUT! Evidently, I'm totally NOT on the ball this year.

After Katherine and Caleb woke up from their naps, we ran to the mall to get their outfits. We didn't have a ton of time to shop because Katherine had Kindermusic at 6:30, so I decided to hit Children's Place and Gymboree as they are right across the hall from each other. I walked into CP and looked around for dresses. I couldn't find any, so I asked the sales clerk, and guess what she told me??? They were all sold out. That's right, not ONE Christmas dress, IN ANY SIZE, in the entire store. Are you kidding me? And to think... I have to find coordinating clothes. This should be fun!

So I ran over to Gymboree, only to find their Christmas line stuffed into a clearance rack almost out the front door. Luckily, they still had dresses in Katherine's sizes, but I didn't *love* any of them. Here's my main problem... I live in Iowa. It's cold in the winter. There just may be snow on the ground. The weather guys will be using the word "windchill" on the nightly news, and guess what? I can't find a dress with sleeves. What's up with that?

Since I couldn't decide which dress I liked "better", I bought both. Imagine that! I have every intention of returning one of them, and hopefully I'll return the whole sack of stuff if I can find something else I like better. OK, here they are... I bought this red dress and white sweater but honestly think they look kind of silly together. The dress just seems too fancy for the sweater. So I found a black velvet A line dress with a red waist band (it's no longer on-line) which matches this red shirt I bought for Caleb. So the search is still on for the Christmas outfits, but why is it this tough to find a dress before December 1. I guess I'll just have to chalk it up to "lesson learned" and vow not to let it happen next year!

Infuriating....

There are days.... when nothing in my life is more INFURIATING that my husband. Oh. My. Heavens. I could have just killed him last night. I could feel my blood boiling... Seriously!

So here's the deal....

Katherine has dance until 7, so by the time we change her clothes and head home, we usually get home around 7:15 or so. My car needed gas, so I had planned to have Matt go and fill it up while I put the kids in the tub. However, as soon as we walked in the door, he suggested that we go out for ice cream. The kids hear this, and start cheering and jumping up and down. There was no way I could say no, so we all pile in the car, and head out.

We get to DQ and I ordered both of the kids a dish of ice cream, a hot fudge sundae for me, and a cone for Matt. The guy at the window passes out my sundae first, which I promptly sat on the dash, and then CONES for the kids. Wrong answer! I asked for cups, and there is NO WAY I'm handing Caleb a cone in the dark. So I ask for the dishes and spoons, and the guy working hands those out the window. So there I sit...... holding two cones, two dishes and spoons, and trying to assemble the kids' ice cream treat.

All of a sudden, Matt hits the gas and sends my HOT FUDGE SUNDAE flying. That's right. Flying. All. Over. The Car. It misses my Louis Vuitton purse by centimeters (literally). Momma almost got a new purse! There is a pile of hot fudge on the carpet. My jeans and sweatshirt are COVERED. That's right, covered. From slightly above my ankle -- to all the way up my thigh and all down my arm and chest. So needless to say, I'm a sticky mess..... and annoyed with him for being sooo inconsiderate. Inconsiderate you might wonder? Why was he inconsiderate? No need to wonder anymore. Let me tell ya! While I'm trying to juggle my sundae AND assembling the kids' ice cream AND putting away my debit card, there sits Matt -- doing NOTHING! That's right -- NOTHING! He doesn't offer to help out or hold anything, all he's concerned with is which side he should lick is flippin' cone on next -- oh, and obviously stepping on the gas. UUUUUUGH!

To make matters a million times worse, he finds it necessary to laugh at me. Oh, baby... It's like the guy couldn't stop. He carries on and on and on about how of course it's not his fault, I should have sat my sundae in a different location and how it was only a pair a jeans. He's laughing hysterically at my misery. He actually finds JOY in it. To me, that was the most infuriating thing of all. I could have killed him.

The funniest part was that Katherine was sticking up for me. She called him "Speed" (which is what Caleb calls Lightening McQueen) because in the beginning of the movie all he thinks about was himself. He doesn't care about other people might need. That's right Sista!!

Caleb was laughing with Matt -- he didn't have a clue what happened, all he knew is that he was feasting on ice cream and was happy. Since he didn't know what to say, he started belting out "Shake your Booty". It was priceless. I honestly have no idea where he learned it, but man... it really is funny!

Animal Kingdom

On Thursday morning, we decided to take off for Animal Kingdom in hopes that the park wouldn't be crazy busy. Since they had their Magic Hours the day before, we thought that most people would have gone on Wednesday. Boy were we wrong! It was insanely crowded. Borderline claustrophobic!

We got there right as the park opened and took off for the safari ride. This has to be one of the coolest rides in all of Disney. The ride is probably around 20 minutes long and you ride in open air passenger jeep type things and see the animals (lions, zebra, elephant, giraffes, buffalo, antelope etc) in their natural habitat. It was amazing! The kids truly loved every moment!

We did have to wait for probably around 45 minutes -- and let me remind you -- we arrived a few minutes BEFORE the park opened. Pretty insane, huh?

While waiting in line, Caleb started to get antsy and decided to boycott the stroller. Thankfully my dad couldn't wait to get his hands on Caleb, and they bonded while eating snacks and admiring the plants. Only my dad could point out some of that stuff and make it interesting to a 2 year old!




I love this photo. This is a sight I saw countless times over the course of the week... The two of them would be hanging out, talking about absolutely nothing and burst into laughter. It wasn't a passing chuckle either.... No, these two would let loose a deep belly laugh. The ever-so-contagious kind of laughter you can't help but to notice, and start laughing yourself.

Caleb and Matt on the safari ride. By the time we finally boarded the jeep, Caleb had about all the waiting in line he could take, and was gearing up for a meltdown. Thankfully, he sat on Matt's lap and sucked on his plug, rather than going into tantrum mode.

Not sure what happened to the color of this photo??? Clearly needs some editing!

The boys checking out the animals.

After the safari, we made our way through Africa and the girls found drums and other musical instruments to play. It was sooo cute. They ended up making up a song and singing their little hearts out.

While Matt, Laurie, Clyde and Morgan went on this, Mom, Dad and I took the three other kids on this dino ride thing. They loved it, but it was nothing more than your standard amusement park ride -- for those familiar with Adventureland, it was a bigger dragon ride. They loved it so much they rode at least 3 times! Who knew???

We made our way to Dinosaur which unfortunately had the magical 40 inch height requirement. Laurie *assured* me that it was a tame ride and that Katherine would love it. Of course KATHERINE would, it was me that I was concerned about. LOL! I've got to tell ya... of all the rides, this one had me the most freaked out. It was probably because I didn't know what was coming, but man.... I was so close to actually believing I'd be eaten by a robotic dinosaur! The worst of it is.... toward the end of ride, a dinosaur comes right at your car, and then the car dips below and takes off. Right at the moment of potential impact, they take your picture and display it at the end of the ride. Upon viewing, I'm leaning into Katherine, ducking and screaming. She's pointing and laughing. GEEEZZZZZ. How sad am I????

Since the big kids wanted to go onExpedition Everest, we took the little ones to see Nemo, which was another Broadway style show. It worked out perfectly as they each had two fast passes and it gave us enough time to take in the show. Katherine loved it, but Caleb was tired and ended up taking a nap. After the show was over, and we met up with the rest of the gang, we decided to leave the park. There were too many people and the lines were horrendous!